EEOC Sues NYT for Denying White Male Promotion

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit Tuesday against The New York Times in federal court in Manhattan, accusing the newspaper of discriminating against a white male employee by denying him a promotion to deputy real estate editor in early 2025.

The complaint, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that the Times violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by considering the employee's race and sex in its hiring process. The unnamed plaintiff, an 11-year veteran who served primarily as a senior staff editor on the international desk, sought the role but did not advance to the final interview stage despite his qualifications, including experience in real estate journalism, according to the EEOC. The final candidates included a multiracial woman, a white woman, a Black man and an Asian woman, none of whom were white men. The Times selected the multiracial woman, whom the EEOC described as less qualified with little real estate experience. One interviewer noted she was "a bit green overall" and unlikely to contribute significantly to coverage expansion, the complaint states.