EEOC Sues New York Times Alleging Race and Sex Discrimination in Promotions

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against The New York Times on Tuesday alleging the newspaper engaged in unlawful employment practices by discriminating against a white male employee in a promotion decision. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and claims the decision violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The promotion concerned the deputy real estate editor position, which was listed in January 2025. The employee, who has worked at The New York Times since 2014 and served as senior staff editor on the paper’s international desk for more than nine years, met all requirements for the role including experience with real estate journalism.

He was not among the candidates given a final panel interview.

No white males were among the four finalists. The final pool consisted of a white female, a Black male, an Asian female, and a multiracial female. Monica Burton, who came to The New York Times from Eater, a Vox Media property, was hired for the position.

The EEOC states that Burton’s experience did not meet all stated basic requirements for the role, including experience with real estate journalism. The lawsuit claims The New York Times’s stated race and sex-based representation goals influenced the decision not to advance the white male employee’s candidacy.

It further states that a decrease in the percentage of White male employees was a necessary consequence for the newspaper to achieve its diversity goals.

The employee had filed a charge with the EEOC before the lawsuit, and the commission found reasonable cause that the newspaper violated federal law. The complaint demands appropriate backpay with prejudgment interest for the employee who was passed over.