The newspaper that bills itself as the definitive source of American news is now making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The New York Times, long considered one of the most powerful media institutions in the country, has landed in federal court after the Trump administration filed a discrimination lawsuit against the publication.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is the driving force behind the legal action, alleging the Times handed a promotion to a less-qualified candidate over a white male employee, the New York Post reported.
The man behind the complaint has spent more than a decade at the newspaper, joining the Times staff back in 2014.
His sights were set on becoming the publication’s deputy real estate editor, a position he threw his hat in the ring for last year.
The hiring process did not go far for him. He received a single interview before the door was shut, never advancing to the panel interview round that would ultimately determine who got the job.
Federal attorneys contend he was the stronger candidate — more qualified, they argue, than the person the Times chose to elevate.
When the finalist pool was assembled for that panel interview, it consisted of, according to the lawsuit, “a white woman, a Black man, an Asian female and a multiracial female.”
The EEOC is pointing to the Times’ own internal paperwork as part of its case. A 2021 document internally known as “Call to Action” sits at the center of that argument, according to a New York Times report.
The lawsuit cited language within the filing suggesting that shrinking the share of white male employees across new hires, existing staff, and leadership was framed as an unavoidable outcome of the goals the Times had set for itself.
The Times does operate a formal Diversity and Inclusion program, one the company makes publicly available, which monitors its workforce composition by both race and sex.
Federal lawyers are now asking a court to order the Times to cease what they characterize as race- and sex-based discrimination in its employment decisions.
The government is also pushing for the court to mandate that the newspaper undo what the lawsuit describes as the lingering effects of its discriminatory practices.
News of the lawsuit spread rapidly, and social media lit up with users pointing fingers at the Times, many accusing the outlet of sidelining the employee because of his race.
Times spokeswoman Rhoades Ha came out swinging against the allegations, rejecting them without reservation.
“The allegation centers on a single personnel decision for one of over 100 deputy positions across the newsroom, yet the E.E.O.C.’s filing makes sweeping claims that ignore the facts to fit a predetermined narrative,” Ha said.
She continued: “Neither race nor gender played a role in this decision — we hired the most qualified candidate, and she is an excellent editor.”
Whether a court will side with the federal government or the Times remains an open question, with the full merits of the case yet to be tested before a judge.
