Russian newsreader fired after Obama middle finger insult 讀奧巴馬名字時比中指 俄羅斯女主播被炒了

Online footage of the incident involving news anchor Tatyana Limanova went viral in both Russia and the West causing REN TV, her employer, huge embarrassment. 俄羅斯REN TV電視臺最近遭遇了巨大的難堪：新聞女主播馬諾娃的直播事件錄像，在俄羅斯和西方國家的網絡上像病毒一樣迅速瘋傳開來。

To broadcast bosses' horror, Ms Limanova was caught mechanically raising her left arm and showing the camera her raised middle finger after referencing US President Barack Obama. 當時馬諾娃在播報亞太經濟合作會議新聞。當念到美國總統奧巴馬的名字時，她被鏡頭捕捉到舉起左臂，做出了豎中指的不雅手勢。

REN TV, a privately owned channel controlled by associates of Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, said on Thursday it had decided to take her off air calling her actions "unacceptable" and "unprofessional". REN TV是俄羅斯最大的私營電視臺，該電視臺的老板與總理普京的關系密切。REN TV在周四表示，已經做出決定將馬諾娃解雇，并表示她的行為“無法接受” 和“不夠專業”。

"On 14 November during the 'News 24' programme the presenter Limanova made an unacceptable gesture that was a synonym for an offensive expression," it said in a statement. REN TV電視臺在一份聲明中表示：“在11月14日的新聞24小時節目中，主持人馬諾娃做出了一個非常不合適的手勢，這是一種冒犯無禮的行為。”

The channel, which is broadcast to 120 million people, claimed the gesture was intended for her colleagues in the studio rather than for President Obama. 該頻道的收看群眾達1.2億人。電視臺表示馬諾娃的手勢是針對直播間里的某位工作人員，而不是美國總統奧巴馬。

"It had no subtext and was not linked with the news that Limanova was reading at that moment," it said. 聲明中提到：“這個手勢沒有任何潛在意義，也與當時正在播報的新聞沒有任何關系。”

Nonetheless, it said it had been left with no choice but to fire her. 不過由于造成惡劣影響，所以電視臺還是只能做出解雇的處分。

"A decision has been taken that T Limanova cannot and will not continue to work on the REN TV channel as a presenter," it said. “電視臺已經做出決定，馬諾娃將不會再擔任REN TV頻道的主持人。”

Sources close to the channel had previously tried to defuse the row by claiming that the newsreader had believed she was off camera at the time and merely providing a voice-over for a report. She had raised her middle finger as a jokey retort to studio technicians who had been trying to put her off her stride, they said. 此前有可靠消息稱，電視臺試圖希望能夠平息風波，解釋該主播以為鏡頭已經切換只有報道旁白而已，而她豎中指的手勢也只是玩笑似地反擊直播室里試圖干擾她的工作人員。