Photo misused by BBC incites anger

British media leader BBC became the target of the Chinese public's anger over its use of an outdated photograph in a China-bashing article on its website.

The BBC's Chinese website last Wednesday carried an 8-year-old photo showing two Chinese policemen looking at a computer monitor in an article quoting a US senator who accused China of "spying" on Internet users in hotels during this summer's Games - an allegation the Chinese government has refuted.

The report quickly spread among Chinese websites and blogs, becoming one of the hottest topics of online banter over the weekend. Many critics said they were less agitated by the fact the recent article was biased against China than the company had used the same image in different China-bashing articles over the past eight years.