In the jaw-dropping moment captured on camera, the BBC presenter made a rude gesture as she gave the middle finger to the camera live on air.
The video captured the moment BBC News reader Maryam Moshiri gave the middle finger to the camera live, quickly going viral and leaving viewers shocked, sparking a debate about this rude behavior.
The video showed her raising her eyebrows and tilting her head as she flipped off the camera. She said, "Live from London, this is BBC News.".
However, it took her a few seconds to realize she was currently live on air. She immediately pulled her hand back and continued to read the bulletin with a serious face.
After realizing she had made a rude gesture to the camera, Maryam apologized for the mistake.
On the x, formerly Twitter, she wrote: "Hey everyone, yesterday, just before the top of the hour, I was joking around a bit with the team in the gallery. I was pretending to count down as the director was counting me down from 10-0, including the fingers to show the number. So from 10 fingers held up to one. When we got to 1, I turned my finger around as a joke and did not realize that this would be caught on camera."
"It was a private joke with the team, and I’m so sorry it went out on air! It was not my intention for this to happen, and I’m sorry if I offended or upset anyone. I wasn’t 'flipping the bird’ at viewers or even a person. It was a silly joke that was meant for a small number of my friends."
However, numerous viewers disagreed with her apology. While some criticized her, stating that the moment she gave the middle finger on live air was unprofessional, others even said she was unworthy of being a presenter.
One person said, Bye. Turn the light off on your way out.
A second wrote: Look at her face, too. Smug, arrogant expression while she was doing it. The BBC has gone downhill!
While a third mocked: I can remember Donkey years ago when the BBC was a world-respected broadcasting company, and now they employ total imbeciles.
Someone else said, How on earth did she get a job presenting the news when she is so unprofessional? Could you imagine Angela Rippon doing this? Standards have fallen so far that they are beyond the gutter now. Time to defund. I don't want to be forced to pay the salaries of people like this.
I remember when the BBC was a professional outfit run by competent and serious people. I wonder what changed... Another added.
However, this is the first time the MC has captured rude behavior on camera.
In 2010, Schafernaker made a mistake similar to Maryam Moshiri's. During the weather forecast, news presenter Simon McCoy made a lighthearted remark on live air:
'Now we will have the weather forecast in a minute, and of course, it will be 100 percent accurate and provide all the detail you can want,' said McCoy. 'I've just seen Tom Schafernaker preparing for it.'
Schafernaker, who believed he was off-camera, however, was seen raising his middle finger to McCoy in a gesture.
Schaffnak immediately realized his mistake and raised his hands to his face to cover himself, appearing to pretend to be grabbing his chin.
The video has racked up millions of views online and sparked debate on social media
