BBC is forced to pay damages to bosses of world's largest LGBT news website over false sexual misconduct allegations

BBC is forced to pay damages to bosses of world's largest LGBT news website over false sexual misconduct allegations Published: 15:43 EDT, 8 October 2026 | Updated: 15:57 EDT, 8 October 2026 The BBC has apologised and will pay damages to the heads of LGBT news site PinkNews after admitting 'false and defamatory' allegations of sexual misconduct. A programme added to iPlayer in December 2024 accused Benjamin Cohen and his husband Anthony James, the site's chief operating officer, of sexual misconduct towards junior staff at the company.At the High Court in London on Thursday, the BBC apologised for the programme, titled PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors, accepting the allegations were 'serious, false and defamatory' after the couple brought a libel claim.The couple's lawyers said the corporation will pay compensation to settle the legal action, which the pair intends to donate to the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity.The programme is no longer available on iPlayer.The BBC also apologised for an article which made a further allegation that the couple had placed 'inappropriate pressure on young, female members of staff to act as surrogates for them'.Reading a joint statement between the couple and the BBC, the couple's barrister Lorna Skinner KC said: 'These allegations were false and extremely harmful to the claimants' reputations.' Benjamin Cohen (left), the founder of PinkNews, and his husband Anthony James (right), the outlet's director, were accused of sexual misconductShe said that because of the programme, the couple were subject to additional investigations ahead of a parental order hearing in respect of their son who was born by surrogacy.Ms Skinner said: 'This caused the claimants considerable anxiety and distress during a time when they ought to have been able to focus on their newborn son.'She said that Mr Cohen had felt he needed to resign as trustee of a disability charity and Dr James resigned as a non-executive director of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust because of the programme. Jane Phillips, representing the BBC, said: 'The BBC retracts and apologises unreservedly for the defamatory allegations made in the programme and the article.'In a statement given to the Press Association, the couple said: 'The BBC ignored warnings about the veracity of these allegations and chose to broadcast false claims to millions of people.'When this began, we were new dads and our son was just six months old. What should have been one of the happiest periods of our lives was instead thrown into chaos, impacting our business, our colleagues and our family.'They said: 'By falsely portraying us as engaging in sexual misconduct and pressuring female employees over surrogacy, the BBC reinforced one of the most damaging homophobic tropes: that gay men are sexual predators who pose a threat to others.'It took minutes for these false allegations to spread around the world, but nearly two years for the BBC to publicly acknowledge that they were false.'The BBC now owes licence fee payers an explanation of how such a serious failure could have occurred and what it intends to do to demonstrate that it remains fit for purpose.'The couple added: 'Nothing can give us back the time we have lost, nor undo the impact this has had on our family. But the record has now been set straight.'The allegations were false. The BBC has retracted them in full and apologised unreservedly. Today, we can finally begin to move forward.'The BBC, though, needs to carefully consider and learn from the impact that its reckless journalism has had on a young family's lives.'The Daily Mail has contacted the BBC for comment.