The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against The New York Times on Tuesday, claiming that the paper had engaged in \u201cunlawful employment practices\u201d and had discriminated against a white male employee who did not get a sought-after promotion.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, says The Times\u2019s \u201cstated race and sex-based representation goals influenced the decision not to advance\u201d the man\u2019s candidacy for a deputy real estate editor role in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe New York Times categorically rejects the politically motivated allegations brought by the Trump administration\u2019s E.E.O.C.,\u201d said Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokeswoman for The Times. \u201cOur employment practices are merit-based and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world. We will defend ourselves vigorously.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawsuit followed a rapid escalation of an investigation<\/a> that began last year when an employee filed a complaint with the E.E.O.C. in New York. The lawsuit indicates that the employee, who is not named, had worked at the paper as an editor since 2014 and applied for the deputy editor job in 2025.<\/p>\n The complaint quotes from Times diversity and inclusion reports in recent years, including a 2021 \u201cCall to Action\u201d that set a goal of increasing the number of Black and Latino employees.<\/p>\n The reports \u201cdetailed N.Y.T.\u2019s express efforts to make employment decisions on the basis of race and sex to achieve its desired demographic goals,\u201d the complaint says. \u201cA decrease in the percentage of White male employees (whether new hires, existing employees or those in leadership, as appropriate) was a necessary consequence for the N.Y.T. to achieve these results.\u201d<\/p>\n The complaint also quotes from exchanges on the messaging platform Slack among newsroom leaders about trends in diversity hiring, and from internal correspondence related to the hiring process of the deputy editor role.<\/p>\n The exchanges were provided to the E.E.O.C., at the agency\u2019s request, during the investigation that preceded the lawsuit, a person at The Times who is familiar with the matter said. The person said the deputy real estate editor role was not in the scope of The Times\u2019s goals for increasing diversity.<\/p>\n According to the complaint, the complainant was interviewed for the job but was not selected for a panel interview.<\/p>\n \u201cThe four candidates advanced to the panel interview stage matched the race and\/or sex characteristics N.Y.T. sought to increase in its leadership,\u201d the complaint says. According to the complaint, the final pool of candidates consisted of \u201ca white woman, a Black man, an Asian female and a multiracial female.\u201d<\/p>\n Updated\u00a0<\/p>\n May 5, 2026, 6:19 p.m. ET<\/p>\n The complaint asserts that the white man was more qualified than the person who ultimately got the job. The person at The Times said the job listing specifically sought somebody with experience in service journalism, which the person who got the job had, in addition to experience as a supervisor.<\/p>\n The E.E.O.C.\u2019s investigation has deviated from its standard practice, said Ms. Rhoades Ha, the Times spokeswoman. \u201cThe allegation centers on a single personnel decision for one of over 100 deputy positions across the newsroom, yet the E.E.O.C.\u2019s filing makes sweeping claims that ignore the facts to fit a predetermined narrative,\u201d she said. \u201cNeither race nor gender played a role in this decision \u2014 we hired the most qualified candidate, and she is an excellent editor.\u201d<\/p>\n The E.E.O.C. is responsible for enforcing federal civil rights laws in the workplace. Under the second Trump administration, its Republican chair, Andrea Lucas, has recast the agency<\/a> as an executor of President Trump\u2019s agenda. She has pressed staff to pursue cases<\/a> aligned with the administration\u2019s political priorities, including taking aim at diversity programs that she has said discriminate against white men.<\/p>\n