EEOC Sues New York Times Over Promotion Decision, Alleging Race and Sex Discrimination

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. 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.

The lawsuit also alleges the unlawful employment practices were done with malice or with reckless indifference to the employee’s federally protected rights.

It references The New York Times’s 2021 Call to Action that set a goal of increasing the number of Black and Latino employees. The complaint quotes internal materials detailing efforts to make employment decisions on the basis of race and sex. Additional details in the suit state that the hiring manager greenlit the external candidate for inclusion in the final interview panel without her first going through the standard interview processes.

The New York Times’s final interview panel rated Monica Burton less favorably than two other final candidates. Danielle Rhoades Ha, senior vice president of communications at The New York Times, stated that the newspaper categorically rejects the politically motivated allegations brought by the Trump administration's EEOC.

She added that the newspaper’s employment practices are merit-based and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world, and that it will defend itself vigorously.

Rhoades Ha further stated that neither race nor gender played a role in the hiring decision and that the Times hired the most qualified candidate.