BEIJING, Jan 22 (AP) -- Two television officials have been fired after a station in northern China accidentally broadcast a pornographic video, a state-run newspaper reported Monday.

The pornography was shown late on Jan. 16 and early the next day on a station in Pingshan county in Hebei province, said the Beijing Morning Post, adding the broadcast "caused a bad social effect."

The newspaper said the county government had fired Liu Junzeng, director of the Pingshan Film and Television Administration, and Shen Cunhuai, the deputy director. It said three other officials were also being investigated.

China has taken a tough stance on pornography, especially on television and the Internet. Last month, the creator of China's largest pornographic Web site was imprisoned for life.

The government encourages Internet use for education and business but strictly controls content and tries to block access to material deemed pornographic or subversive.