PinkNews' founder Benjamin Cohen | YouTube screenshot
The BBC has reached a “substantial” settlement with the online UK LGBTQ+ outlet PinkNews over allegations the BBC now agrees were “false and defamatory,” including accusations of sexual misconduct and misogyny by the publication’s founder Benjamin Cohen and his husband, Anthony James.
The damning claims from staff members appeared in an online documentary and accompanying article published by the BBC in late December 2024. The BBC has removed both from its website.
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The headline this morning on the PinkNews website reads, “BBC apologizes unreservedly for false and defamatory allegations against PinkNews bosses.”
The settlement is a stunning turnabout for the legacy news organization, which said it based the allegations in the documentary, “PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors,” on interviews with dozens of current and former staff and internal communications at the company. Representatives for Cohen and James told the BBC at the time that the allegations were false.
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