Trump Administration Sues New York Times Over Alleged Discrimination in Promotions; NYT calls lawsuit politically motivated

New York: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has taken the New York Times to federal court, alleging the publication unlawfully passed over a qualified "white male employee" for promotion in favour of candidates from demographic groups the company had pledged to elevate through its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — marking the third legal action by President Donald Trump or his administration against the newspaper in under five years.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses the Times of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC pointed specifically to the outlet's 2021 "Call to Action" — an internal commitment to increase non-white and female representation in leadership — as evidence that race and sex were material factors in its promotion decisions. "Federal law is clear: making hiring or promotion decisions motivated in whole or in part by race or sex violates federal law. There is no diversity exception to this rule," EEOC chair Andrea Lucas said.

The Times rejected the allegations outright. "Our employment practices are merit-based and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world. We will defend ourselves vigorously," spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said, describing the suit as "politically motivated."

The legal offensive is part of a broader pattern. The Trump administration has pursued multiple media companies through DEI-related litigation, with limited courtroom success — losing two cases since 2023 and seeing three other suits dropped or dismissed. The president's personal $15 billion lawsuit against the Times over its coverage of his financial affairs remains active after being refiled in October following an earlier dismissal.

Separately, the Federal Communications Commission last week ordered an accelerated review of ABC's local broadcast licences over alleged DEI-related violations, signalling that the administration's legal pressure on media organisations shows no signs of abating.