The founder and chief operating officer of Pink News have accused the BBC of publishing misleading and malicious allegations that have caused them “serious harm”.
The BBC said it stands by its reporting, which it says is in the public interest.
It is the first statement issued by Pink News founder Benjamin Cohen and chief operating officer Anthony James since a BBC documentary was aired on 10 December making serious allegations about their behaviour.
The pair, who are a married couple, say the allegations are the subject of a criminal complaint (raised by them) which has led to devices being seized by police.
The BBC said it spoke to 30 former and current Pink News staff before reporting allegations of inappropriate behaviour by both Cohen and James.
In September, Press Gazette investigated allegations made by an anonymous account on X calling itself Pink News Whistleblowers.
Press Gazette spoke to former Pink News employees who reported serious concerns about the way the business was run. Pink News in turn said it was planning to take legal action against whoever was running the Whistleblowers account.
The new Pink News statement, signed by Cohen and James, is headed: “It is with regret that we have been forced to issue this statement following serious allegations first published by the BBC.”
The statement says: “In August, we made a criminal complaint to the police in relation to alleged offences committed against us that are connected with these recent reports. As we told the BBC prior to its initial broadcast, a police investigation was ongoing and we were advised not to make comment. We are now aware that devices had been seized with forensic investigations continuing.
“Despite the BBC being aware of the police investigation, it chose to broadcast and misled the public about our response. We have consulted lawyers in respect of these false, inconsistent and malicious allegations.
“We had explained to the BBC, that the stage of the police investigation meant that it was not possible for us to comment on the specific allegations even though they were strenuously denied. The BBC disregarded the police investigation and then misled its audience about our response.
“The impact of the BBC’s reporting on our family life has been significant and it has caused extremely serious harm to us, Pink News and our colleagues.”
In response, the BBC said: “The BBC reported the allegations made by several members of staff at Pink News.
“We approached Mr Cohen and Dr James for comment and we made it clear in our reporting that they said they were unable to provide a comment at this time, but they denied the allegations.
“We believe it was in the public interest to report this story.”
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