Yahoo News BBC's Clive Myrie says some images from conflict can stay with you forever
BBC News reporter Clive Myrie says there are some images from war that will stick with him forever.
The journalist spent two weeks covering the Ukraine crisis, at various points having to shelter underground and don a flak jacket mid-report.
Discussing how he deals with covering conflicts, he told Morning Live: “I am able to compartmentalise. Obviously there are images and there are things that you see that will stick with you, possibly for the rest of your life.
Read more: Clive Myrie shares frustration at fake news about Ukraine crisis
"I think if you're not able to disentangle yourself from what you see during the day and what you experience, later on in the night when you're with your family and friends then I think there is potentially a problem."
"It's important for the public to be able to get a real sense of what's going on." @CliveMyrieBBC has been on the frontline reporting for the BBC on the war in #Ukraine and talks about the importance of credible journalism. pic.twitter.com/RhGHzYrnQa
— BBC Morning Live (@BBCMorningLive) March 30, 2022
Myrie, 57, also said it’s not the case that reporters covering conflicts are “adrenaline junkies”.
He said: "I can tell you none of us like danger, and as far as adrenaline is concerned I can get that from going to a very good opera.
"So that’s not why we do it. We are just journalists and we happen to report from time to time from conflicts."
Myrie said reporting on conflicts showed “the best of humanity and the worst of humanity”.
"And it’s that contrast that’s compelling," he said.
"It's what you get in the best novels, it’s what you get in the best literature, in the best music, you know, that range of emotions, and to see that up close, frankly, can be a privilege.
"But it can also be dark and horrible as well."
Read more: Viewers moved as Clive Myrie appears to 'shed tear' while reporting on Ukraine crisis
The broadcaster also said that in the current climate it was important to try and give the public a real sense of what was going on and “not something that’s been knocked up on a computer by some bloke in a shed somewhere”.
Myrie first joined the BBC in 1987 and became a foreign correspondent nine years later.
The journalist is also known for hosting television shows such as Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind.
Watch: BBC's Clive Myrie explains why he is staying in Ukraine
