The BBC has apologised and agreed to pay substantial compensation to Benjamin Cohen and Anthony James, the couple behind the LGBT+ news website PinkNews, after accepting that allegations aired in a documentary were false and defamatory.
The broadcaster made the admission at the High Court in relation to its 2024 iPlayer programme, “PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors”. The programme included allegations of sexual misconduct against Cohen and James.
In its statement to the court, the BBC accepted that the documentary had made a series of serious allegations that were untrue and defamatory. The settlement includes an apology and compensation described as substantial.
The case concerns editorial accountability at one of Europe’s largest public-service broadcasters, whose output is widely followed beyond the United Kingdom. The original report was published by The Guardian.