Publisher Gannett wins dismissal of nearly all of journalists' job bias lawsuit

By Jonathan Stempel

Sept 4 (Reuters) - Gannett GCI.N, the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, won the dismissal of most of a lawsuit, including all class action claims, alleging its diversity policies led to widespread discrimination against white journalists.

U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston said on Wednesday the plaintiffs offered no proof that Gannett's alleged "reverse race discrimination policy" caused similar harm across its hundreds of media outlets, which include USA Today, such that affected employees could sue as a group rather than individually.

"Plaintiffs would all be seeking relief based on different theories of recovery, based on different positions, at different newspapers, in different areas of the country, with different decisionmakers," the Alexandria, Virginia-based judge wrote.

Alston, an appointee of President Donald Trump, also said the proposed class would include "large swaths" of employees including human resources, information technology and perhaps janitorial staff who suffered no adverse employment actions.

Five former Gannett journalists said they were fired, pushed to resign or passed over for promotions, under a 2020 policy under which Gannett committed to have its newsrooms reflect the racial and ethnic demographics of communities they cover by 2025.

The New York-based company has said its Inclusion Report, which the plaintiffs cited as evidence of alleged racial basis, did not establish quotas or require specific mechanisms to achieve its "aspirational goals" regarding workplace diversity.

Alston dismissed four of the plaintiffs from the case.

He let the plaintiff Logan Barry, a former reporter for the Progress-Index in Petersburg, Virginia, sue for allegedly being denied a chance to seek a promotion ultimately awarded to a less qualified Black woman.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

Gannett declined to comment, saying it does not discuss pending litigation. The company was based in McLean, Virginia when the lawsuit began in August 2023.

Trump has made the elimination of corporate diversity policies a priority in his second White House term.

The case is Bradley et al v Gannett Co, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, No. 23-01100.