Getty Images/BBCThe couple who run PinkNews, the world’s largest LGBT news website, have been accused by staff of multiple incidents of sexual misconduct.
Several former staff members told the BBC they saw Anthony James, the company director and husband of its founder, kissing and touching a junior colleague who they said was too drunk to consent.
And more than 30 current and former staff members said the culture of heavy drinking led to incidents when founder Benjamin Cohen and her husband behaved inappropriately with younger male employees.
Representatives for Mr Cohen and Dr James told the BBC they were unable to comment at this time, but maintained the allegations were false.
Run by members of Mr Cohen’s family – her husband and former GP Dr James is chief operating officer, and her father Richard is chief lawyer – Pink News says its mission is to “inform change, To inspire and empower people to be themselves”.
It played an influential role in the campaign for marriage equality in Britain and its annual awards ceremony attracted prime ministers and other politicians.
Away from the cameras and red carpets, however, a number of former staff members have told the BBC they suffered bullying and sexual harassment, some of them around Mr Cohen and Dr James. It felt unsafe to be alone. There have also been allegations of abuse and several people told us that some of the young women on staff were asked to act as surrogates for the couple.
As well as interviewing 33 people who worked at Pink News between 2017 and 2024, we also looked at a range of evidence including official written complaints, private emails and WhatsApp messages from staff members sharing their concerns. , as well as doctors’ records citing stress and mental health struggles. Attributed to the work environment at Punk News.
‘They were not capable of consent’
Five former staff members told the BBC they had seen Dr James grope and kiss a junior member of staff, who they said was “too weak to stand or talk”. were intoxicated” and “incapable of consent”.
The alleged incident took place outside a pub in central London, where staff had gathered after a Punk News event.
A former Pink News staff member, whom we’ll call Gary, said Dr. James led the junior colleague behind a tree. “Anthony was just forcing himself on someone who wasn’t capable of making that decision for themselves because of how drunk they were,” he said.
People present at the event said they helped the alleged victim to reach home in a taxi.
But several former staff members who said they witnessed the incident told us they were too afraid to complain. One man said: “This is the CEO’s husband, what are you going to do? Lose your job?”
A complaint about the incident was later made by a staff member, and shared with several members of the senior leadership team at Pink News. The BBC has been shown several copies of the complaint but has been unable to confirm whether any action was taken as a result.
Stephen CricaccoMany former employees said that staff socializing or away days often involved drinking until the early hours of the morning and that “Prosecco Fridays” – where staff would be given free wine and crisps – were used to boost staff morale. was introduced in the office in an effort to
Another former staff member, whom we’ll call Damien, said he personally experienced inappropriate behavior from Mr Cohen during an evening at the pub after work.
“Ben was so drunk that he fell off his chair, and then asked me and his other colleagues if I wanted to go back to him. […] Because Anthony her husband wasn’t there,” Damien said.
“He said something along the lines of ‘Anthony is always with other men’ and suggested we do something sexual. I was very uncomfortable.”
Damian said that after that night, he avoided being alone with Mr. Cohen for the rest of his time at Pink News.
“I never heard from him again, no apologies,” he said. “It caught me off guard because it made me realize that this is a limit that he thinks he can cross.”
Getty ImagesStephen Cariaco, who worked at Pink News between 2019 and 2021, said the job started as a “dream come true” where he “didn’t have to hide or pretend” but the dream soon turned into a “thief”. “Done.
During the Christmas party, Mr. Carriacou said, Mr. Cohen slapped him down in front of everyone.
“I just shut down for a minute. I didn’t know what to say. I was in shock. I remember turning to my friends and saying, ‘What just happened?'”
Mr. Kyriacou said that he no longer felt comfortable enough to be alone around his boss.
She said: “He made me avoid him completely. I never had a one-on-one conversation with him after that.”
Other staff also expressed their concerns about Mr. Cohen, Mr. Cariaco said, with several messages in a group chat describing him as a “crap” and staffers saying he felt comfortable around him. do not
“None of us really felt like we could complain because we didn’t know what was going to happen to us. Ben is very popular and we didn’t know if he was going to be a hit with people,” Mr Cariaco said. He is badmouthing us in front.” .
‘Scary and lazy’
Employees have told us they were yelled at and insulted by Mr. Cohen, and that the company had a “toxic” culture.
“He can be quite brutal in the way he talks to you,” Damien said. “When things went wrong he would come down on you like a ton of bricks and so you were in this constant state of emotional flux.
“It stressed me out to the point where I would go home and cry. [Benjamin] will love me and I will think everything is fine.”
Cai Wilshaw, former head of external affairs at Punk News, said: “There was such a cloud over your office sometimes when Ben was there, it made it really hard to enjoy working there. .
“We worked really well together, but it’s clear that he’s a very difficult character, and sometimes overbearing in a way that really affected the people he worked with.”
Some staff members also said they witnessed what they called “misconduct”.
Several people said that on such occasions younger, female staff members were asked to act as surrogates for Mr. Cohen and Dr. James.
He says the request was often delivered as a joke, but it made people feel “weird and uncomfortable”.
One anonymous staff member called it “creepy and sleazy”, while another called it “part and parcel” of how PinkNews was “mismanaged”.
Many staff who spoke to the BBC said they hoped the culture of Pink News could change so it could continue to tell stories relevant to the LGBT community.
“It’s important because the mainstream media often doesn’t report what’s happening to people,” said Stephen Cariaco. “I think it would make a big difference if it could be repaired.”
Gary said there was a need for “authentic queer-led journalism and queer-led stories” but said “unfortunately PinkNews has lost its credibility in this arena”.
Damien told us that he believes that the future of Punk News can only be secured if Mr. Cohen and Dr. James take a step back.
“The fact that you can’t separate the two is extremely troubling,” he said. “Ben needs to be held to account. Until that day, I don’t know if Punk News has a future.”
The BBC has been told that Mr Cohen and Dr James are unable to make a statement at this time, but we understand their position is that the allegations against them are false.