BBC apologises to PinkNews founders and settles defamation claim
The BBC has apologised unreservedly to PinkNews founder Benjamin Cohen and his husband Anthony James over false allegations made in a documentary and online article.
The apology formed part of a settlement of the couple’s defamation claim, meaning a legal action over damaging and untrue published statements. A joint statement on their behalf was read out at the UK’s High Court, where the BBC also agreed to pay them compensation and removed its original article from its website, according to Deadline.
In court, counsel for the BBC said the corporation accepted the couple’s position in full. The BBC stated it retracts the defamatory allegations in the programme and the article and apologises unreservedly for them.
The case centred on PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors and an accompanying article titled “PinkNews bosses accused of sexual misconduct,” published in late 2024. The BBC said at the time that it had spoken to 30 current and former PinkNews employees for its reporting.
The original BBC article reported claims from ex-staff members that they had seen one of the couple who run the site kissing and touching a drunk colleague, as set out in the BBC piece published on Dec. 10, 2024. The report drew a wide response. Downing Street described the claims against the PinkNews bosses as “very concerning,” according to The Guardian.
Cohen and James said the coverage had consequences beyond reputational damage. As a result of the documentary and article, they were subject to additional investigations by CAFCASS, the body that advises family courts in England on children’s welfare, ahead of a parental order hearing in the Family Court concerning their son born via surrogate. A parental order is the legal order that transfers parenthood to intended parents after a surrogacy arrangement.
The couple filed a defamation claim against the BBC in the High Court on Dec. 5, as reported by Law360.
For viewers, this closes the legal chapter on a high-profile BBC investigation into one of Britain’s best-known LGBTQ+ news publishers. The programme and article no longer stand. The BBC’s retraction and apology now stand in their place.
