New York Times accuses agency of political retaliation in countersuit over discrimination case

2026-07-10T23:30:43Z New York (AP) — The New York Times accused a federal civil rights agency Friday of political retaliation and free speech infringement in a countersuit filed in response to a discrimination lawsuit the news organization faces on behalf of a white male employee who was rejected for a role awarded to a multiracial woman. In a court filing, the news organization said the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit in retaliation for its critical coverage of President Donald Trump’s administration, in particular a story reporting that EEOC staff are under pressure to bring in cases that fit with the government’s priorities, including discrimination claims by white men. In the countersuit filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York, the Times said the EEOC “prematurely and abruptly” ended conciliation efforts and filed the lawsuit a week after the newspaper published its story. The Times said the lawsuit is a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s first and fifth amendments. The lawsuit against The New York Times is a high-profile test of EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas’ mission to pursue corporate diversity and inclusion policies that she argues discriminate against white men and others. She has also opened an investigation into Nike for allegedly discriminating against white employees with policies aimed at diversifying its workforce. The EEOC is suing the Times on behalf of an editor who didn’t get the role of deputy real estate editor in 2025, alleging gender and racial discrimination. The EEOC complaint said the male applicant had worked as an editor for The New York Times since 2014, mostly as a senior staff editor on the international desk with previous experience working on real estate stories. The lawsuit claims that the woman ultimately appointed deputy real estate editor “did not have experience with real estate journalism” but “as a multiracial female, this candidate matched the race and/or sex characteristics NYT sought to increase in its leadership.” (