The BBC has retracted and apologised unreservedly in the High Court for false and defamatory allegations made about PinkNews founder and CEO Benjamin Cohen and his husband, COO Anthony James, in a 2024 documentary and accompanying news coverage.
In a Statement in Open Court at the High Court in London on Thursday, 8 October, the BBC accepted that allegations made in its December 2024 documentary PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors and associated BBC News coverage were false and extremely harmful to the married couple’s reputations.
Jane Phillips, Counsel for the BBC told the court: “The BBC retracts and apologises unreservedly for the defamatory allegations made in the programme and the article.”
The broadcaster has also agreed to pay Cohen and James compensation, which they will donate to the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity.
Among the allegations were claims that Cohen and James had enabled and tolerated sexual misconduct by themselves and each other towards junior employees at PinkNews.
The BBC’s online coverage also alleged that they had placed inappropriate pressure on young female employees to act as surrogates for them.
In a joint statement following the hearing, Cohen and James said that “the BBC ignored warnings about the veracity of these allegations and chose to broadcast false claims to millions of people”.
The settlement brings to an end defamation proceedings brought by the couple against the BBC.
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