The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against the New York Times, alleging that the newspaper failed to promote a white male editor because of his race or sex. The lawsuit, brought on Tuesday, claims the employee was passed over for the role of deputy real estate editor despite being a 'significantly' more qualified candidate.
The employee, who has worked at the Times since 2014 and served as senior staff editor on the international desk for over nine years, was not selected as a finalist for the position. None of the four finalists were white males, according to the suit, and the role was awarded to Monica Burton, who joined from Vox Media's Eater. The complaint states that the Times' 'diversity aspirations' led to the decision, and that a necessary consequence of increasing non-white leadership would be a decrease in white male leaders.
The Times has rejected the allegations, describing them as 'politically motivated'. A spokesperson said the paper's employment practices are merit-based and that race or gender did not play a role in the hiring decision. 'We hired the most qualified candidate, and she is an excellent editor,' the statement added. The Times said it would defend itself vigorously.
The lawsuit marks a new front in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the media. Last week, the Federal Communications Commission chair cited an investigation into diversity initiatives at Disney as the basis for reviewing broadcast licences held by ABC television stations.
