Gannett Beats Claims of Bias Against White Workers, for Now

A federal judge in Virginia has tossed out a proposed class action accusing newspaper publisher Gannett of adopting diversity policies that had led to widespread discrimination against white employees.

U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday said the 2023 lawsuit was “vague and conclusory” and that the five named plaintiffs had failed to identify a company-wide policy that impacted them due to their race. But the judge gave the plaintiffs 30 days to amend their lawsuit and flesh out their claims.

Alston, an appointee of Republican former President Donald Trump, also said the lawsuit was not grounded in a common legal theory that could form the basis of a nationwide class action, since each named plaintiff claims they were affected by Gannett’s policies in different ways.

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The named plaintiffs say they were fired, pushed to quit, or passed over for promotions to make room for women or minorities, or paid less than non-white colleagues. And they claim those decisions were driven by a policy Gannett announced in 2020 saying the company aimed to have its newsrooms reflect the demographics of the communities they cover by 2025.

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