Benjamin Cohen

This article is about the journalist; for the former rugby player, see Ben Cohen

Benjamin Cohen

Benjamin Cohen (born 1982) is a British journalist, entrepreneur and campaigner, and the founder of Pink News.

Cohen first came to attention as a teenage internet entrepreneur, and later worked as a broadcast journalist, serving as technology correspondent for Channel 4 News. He founded Pink News in 2005; it grew to become one of the largest LGBT news websites in the world, and he has continued as its chief executive.

Campaigning

In 2012 Cohen founded Out4Marriage, a cross-party campaign for the introduction of equal marriage, which produced a series of short films in which public figures explained their support. He also spoke publicly about his own family's backing for the change, describing his grandparents' wish that he should be able to marry.

He was placed seventh in the Independent on Sunday's Pink List 2013, jointly with Mike Buonaiuto, in recognition of his work founding Pink News and launching the Out4Marriage campaign.

BBC investigation, 2024

In December 2024 BBC News published an investigation into the workplace culture at Pink News, in which allegations of sexual misconduct and bullying were made against Cohen and his husband, Dr Anthony James, the company's chief operating officer. The BBC said it had spoken to more than thirty current and former members of staff who had worked at the company between 2017 and 2024, and had reviewed written complaints and other material. The allegations concerned inappropriate behaviour towards junior staff in the context of a heavy drinking culture at company events.

Representatives for Cohen and James initially told the BBC that they were unable to provide a statement, though the BBC reported their position to be that the allegations were false. Later that month the couple published an open letter on the Pink News website describing the allegations as false, inconsistent and malicious, saying that the reporting had caused serious harm to them and to their colleagues, and accusing the BBC of misrepresenting their response. They said they had been unable to comment earlier because they had themselves made a criminal complaint to the police in August in relation to alleged offences committed against them in connection with the reports. The BBC said its investigation was in the public interest.

Following the investigation, Dr James was suspended from his position as an associate non-executive director at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust pending further information. Cohen has remained chief executive of Pink News.