BBC pays compensation to PinkNews couple over false sexual misconduct allegations
The PinkNews founder, Benjamin Cohen (left), with his husband, Anthony James, in London, 2022. Photograph: Dave Benett/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenThe PinkNews founder, Benjamin Cohen (left), with his husband, Anthony James, in London, 2022. James resigned as an associate non-executive director on the board of Bedfordshire hospitals NHS foundation trust.“These allegations were false and extremely harmful to the claimants’ reputations,” said the couple’s legal team.
- ▪The PinkNews founder, Benjamin Cohen (left), with his husband, Anthony James, in London, 2022.
- ▪Photograph: Dave Benett/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenThe PinkNews founder, Benjamin Cohen (left), with his husband, Anthony James, in London, 2022.
- ▪James resigned as an associate non-executive director on the board of Bedfordshire hospitals NHS foundation trust.“These allegations were false and extremely harmful to the claimants’ reputations,” said the couple’s legal team.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — World |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/08/bbc-pays-compensation-pinknews-couple-false-sexual-misconduct-allegations-benjamin-cohen |
| Publication time | Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:23:31 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-10-08T15:36:43.854Z |
| Last seen | 2026-10-08T15:36:43.854Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
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| Summary source text | contentText |
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| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
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| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
The PinkNews founder, Benjamin Cohen (left), with his husband, Anthony James, in London, 2022. Photograph: Dave Benett/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenThe PinkNews founder, Benjamin Cohen (left), with his husband, Anthony James, in London, 2022. Photograph: Dave Benett/Getty ImagesBBCBBC pays compensation to PinkNews couple over false sexual misconduct allegationsBroadcaster apologises after admitting claims against Benjamin Cohen and Anthony James were defamatoryMichael Savage Media editorThu 8 Oct 2026 11.23 EDTLast modified on Thu 8 Oct 2026 11.31 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe BBC has apologised and paid “substantial” compensation to the couple behind the PinkNews website, after conceding that stories accusing them of sexual misconduct were false and defamatory.In a…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Guardian — World.
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