EEOC Is Suing the New York Times for Discrimination

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued The New York Times on Tuesday for allegedly discriminating against a white male editor applying for a promotion, whom it claims was passed over in favor of a less-qualified nonwhite female.

The EEOC alleged in a press release that the Times was devoted to DEI policies, short for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“No one is above the law — including ‘elite’ institutions. There is no such thing as ‘reverse discrimination;’ all race or sex discrimination is equally unlawful, according to long-established civil rights principles,” EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said in a public statement.

She added, “no matter the size or power of the employer, the EEOC under my leadership will not pull punches.”

“Federal law is clear: making hiring or promotion decisions motivated in whole or in part by race or sex violates federal law,” Lucas said. “There is no diversity exception to this rule.”

The EEOC’s lawsuit alleges the Times excluded a white male New York Times editor with experience in real estate journalism from its final panel interviews for a vacant deputy real estate editor position in early 2025. None of the candidates who advanced to the final interview process were white males.

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The Times hired an outside candidate for the job who was a nonwhite female, according to the lawsuit. The agency further alleges the hire advanced to the final interview panel without going through the company’s standard interview processes for the position.

A New York Times spokesperson said the company “categorically rejects the politically motivated allegations brought by the Trump administration’s EEOC.”

“Our employment practices are merit-based and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world. We will defend ourselves vigorously,” a New York Times spokesperson said in an email response to an inquiry for this story.

“The allegation centers on a single personnel decision for one of over 100 deputy positions across the newsroom, yet the EEOC’s filing makes sweeping claims that ignore the facts to fit a predetermined narrative,” the statement continues. “Neither race nor gender played a role in this decision – we hired the most qualified candidate, and she is an excellent editor.”