Nation’s largest newspaper publisher discriminated against white staffers to reach diversity goals, ex-employees’ lawsuit claims

The nation’s largest newspaper publisher, Gannett, has been accused of discriminating against white employees in an effort to reach the company’s diversity goals, according to a class action lawsuit filed last week.

Five current and former Gannett employees claimed that the newspaper publisher launched an effort to diversify its newsrooms, which caused white workers to be passed over for promotions and even fired in some instances.

Gannett brands include USA Today and a vast network of more than 260 local publications that span 47 states. Some of those local media outlets include the Arizona Republic, the Tennessean, the Detroit Free Press, the Des Moines Register, the Columbus Dispatch, Austin American-Statesman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Indianapolis Star, and Louisville Courier Journal.

The lawsuit filed against Gannett on Friday stated that the company “executed their reverse race discrimination policy with a callous indifference towards civil rights laws or the welfare of the workers, and prospective workers, whose lives would be upended by it.”

It claimed that Gannett selected employees to receive executive bonuses and promotions based on its diversity goals, not workers' merits or qualifications.

In 2020, the newspaper publisher announced that it aimed to make its newsrooms “as diverse as the country by 2025,” according to USA Today. The outlet also noted that Gannett would “expand the number of journalists focused on covering issues related to race and identity, social justice and equality.”

At the time of the announcement, USA Today reported that Gannett’s workforce was comprised of 46% women and 22% black, indigenous, and people of color.

Steven Bradley, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, claimed he was fired from his management position with the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper in Rochester, New York. He also stated that he was passed up for a different position with the company based on the color of his skin.

Logan Barry, another plaintiff in the case, accused Gannett’s diversity policies of causing him to miss out on a promotion he was in line to receive at Progress-Index in Petersburg, Virginia, before the publisher took over ownership in 2019. Instead, Barry claimed the position was given to a black woman with fewer qualifications.

The plaintiffs are requesting that Gannett be ordered to end its diversity policy and provide compensation for lost pay, benefits, and other damages.

Gannett’s chief legal counsel, Polly Grunfeld Sack, told the New York Post, “We will vigorously defend our practice of ensuring equal opportunities for all our valued employees against this meritless lawsuit.” Sack added that the company always prioritizes recruiting qualified candidates.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!