# PinkNews

PinkNews is a UK-based online newspaper marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning community (LGBTQ+) in the UK and worldwide. It was founded by Benjamin Cohen in July 2005, initially released in print, but became an online version six months later.
It closely follows political progress on LGBTQ+ rights around the world, and carries interviews with cultural figures and politicians, including the gay marriage debate in the UK, and has participated in campaigns such as Out4Marriage. PinkNews pays special attention to the topic of homosexuality.
In 2014, PinkNews partnered with organizations like Stonewall and interviewed prominent political figures like Michael Cashman, MEP, UK MP Layla Moran, and others.
The company underwent a structural change in 2015, changing its name to PinkNews Media Group Ltd and later to PinkNews Media Ltd in 2020.
In 2024, Anthony James and Benjamin Cohen were accused of sexual misconduct, which the corporation subsequently denied and criticised the BBC for misleading the public.

## History
### PinkUnlimited.co.uk

PinkNews was founded by Benjamin Cohen in July 2005. PinkUnlimited.co.uk Ltd was registered at Companies House on 13 December 2005. That month the sitting Prime Minister, Tony Blair, wrote their online article: We are living in a new age of equality. The PinkNews paper version was officially launched in 2006. However, PinkNews became an online-only publication when the print edition was dropped after six months.
In 2006, two tabloid newspapers, the News of the World and The Sun, published false allegations about two unnamed Premiership footballers having a gay orgy with a DJ, using a pixelated photograph of footballer Ashley Cole to illustrate the story. PinkNews published what it claimed to be the unpixelated original photograph. Cole, along with the DJ, Masterstepz, sued the tabloids' parent company News International and won at least £100,000 plus legal costs.
PinkNews reported heavily on the refusal of Stonewall, an LGBTQ+ rights group, to actively campaign for gay marriage prior to October 2010. A poll commissioned by PinkNews and answered by more than 800 of their readership found 98% in support of marriage equality. Stonewall was also criticised by a former founder, Michael Cashman, MEP in an op-ed for PinkNews entitled "What part of 'equality' can't Stonewall understand?" Stonewall CEO, Ben Summerskill later accused PinkNews of running an "unethical campaign" against Stonewall after asking every LGBT organisation and political group to outline their stance on the issue, with only Stonewall refusing to comment. In October 2010, Stonewall revised its policy and agreed to support same-sex marriage. On 25 April 2012 PinkNews began using a video for the Coalition for Equal Marriage in their advertising space, wrote articles in support of it and gave it their official backing, encouraging readers to respond to the government consultation to show their opinions.
PinkNews regularly reported on the progress of the Out4Marriage campaign, which was started in May 2012 and launched by Mike Buonaiuto and PinkNews founder, Benjamin Cohen. The campaign used YouTube videos of people supporting equal marriage, including celebrities and Members of Parliament, finishing with the line "And that's why I'm out for marriage. Are you?". The Out4Marriage YouTube campaign reached 14 million views in just three weeks from launch. PinkNews was an official supporter of the Coalition for Equal Marriage (C4EM), a counter-organisation to the Coalition for Marriage, and successfully petitioned for the introduction of same-sex marriage rights in England and Wales, while the Coalition for Marriage campaigned against it.
In 2012 PinkNews named 25 January as Peter Tatchell Day to celebrate the British political campaigner's 60th birthday, 45 years of human rights campaigning and 10 years since the launch of the Peter Tatchell Foundation. PinkNews also published a prose poem written by Stephen Fry in honour of Tatchell's birthday on 24 January and frequently carries advertisements for the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
PinkNews began to collaborate closely with Stonewall following the departure of Summerskill in 2014. PinkNews had regularly reported criticism of Stonewall for its refusal to campaign on transgender issues. A year later, under Chief Executive Ruth Hunt, Stonewall decided to begin campaigning on transgender issues. Hunt has written for PinkNews on a number of occasions.
PinkNews became one of the few LGBTQ+ publications to have interviewed an incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury in 2014, when Justin Welby discussed the Church of England's approach to homosexuality.

### PinkNews Media Group

In April 2015, the company was renamed PinkNews Media Group Ltd. In 2017, Stonewall and PinkNews co-hosted an election hustings, In 2018, PinkNews became the first LGBTQ+ publisher on Snapchat. It had an operating profit of £2million in 2021. The website was redesigned in 2022. New filtering features were also added to its app in an attempt to counter news avoidance due to negative reporting.
In 2019 PinkNews apologised to Joanna Cherry, who at the time was the MP for Edinburgh South West for falsely stating that she was being investigated for homophobia. In a correction published on their website, they "made a donation to the Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group at Ms Cherry’s request in compensation for the damage done and we have paid Ms Cherry’s legal costs."
On 2 January 2020, UK MP Layla Moran revealed in an interview with PinkNews that she is pansexual; she is believed to be the first UK parliamentarian to come out as pansexual.
In July 2020, the writer and activist Julie Bindel sued PinkNews and its editor Benjamin Cohen for libel in relation to an article concerning gender-critical feminism that she argued defamed her. In October 2021, the case was settled out of court with PinkNews publishing a joint statement with Bindel stating "The [original] article made a number of serious allegations of misconduct and PinkNews accepts that if the allegations were understood to refer to Julie, they would be wholly untrue." In November 2020, the company was renamed PinkNews Media Ltd.

### Sexual misconduct allegations

On 11 December 2024, the BBC broadcast an investigation in which Anthony James and Benjamin Cohen were accused by more than 30 current and former members of staff of inappropriate touching, kissing, and bullying. The staff members described a toxic workplace. On 17 December, the couple released a statement describing the allegations of sexual misconduct as "false, inconsistent and malicious" and accused the BBC of misleading the public.