The New York Times countersued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, accusing the watchdog agency of retaliation when it sued the newspaper for allegedly passing over a white, male editor for a promotion.

In a countersuit filed in a Manhattan federal court on Friday, the Times alleges that the agency violated the First and Fifth Amendments by retaliating against it with a discrimination suit this spring. The Times said the agency used its authority in bad faith to target the Times for its coverage of the Trump administration.

"The EEOC singled out The Times for adverse treatment because of the Trump administration's disdain for The Times's protected newsgathering, reporting, and speech," the Times said in its lawsuit.

In the complaint it filed in May, the EEOC said the Times chose not to promote the staffer to an editor role in early 2025 because of his race and gender. Instead, it hired a woman who wasn't white and who the agency alleged had less experience than the man.

None of the other finalists for the position was a white man either, and the newspaper ultimately hired an external candidate, the agency said. The man subsequently filed a discrimination charge, or claim, with the EEOC.

In its countersuit, the Times calls into question the timing of the EEOC lawsuit, which came just days after it published a piece on "widespread criticism of the EEOC and its leadership."

The EEOC and White House didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Times has rejected the EEOC's allegations. "Our employment practices are merit-based and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world," it said in a statement.

The Times says Bryant Rousseau, the staffer the EEOC alleges the publication discriminated against, joined as a staff editor in 2014 and was promoted two years later to a more senior role. The Times offered him at least two separate positions in 2024 that satisfied his expressed career objectives, before he applied for the real estate deputy editor job, it said.

Rousseau, who resigned from the Times in June, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

In its filing on Friday, the Times said the candidate it ultimately hired for the role was better qualified and had more experience, particularly in service journalism.

Write to Alexandra Bruell at alexandra.bruell@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 10, 2026 20:38 ET (00:38 GMT)

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