• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, 9 hours ago

The movement toward diversity in hiring has been halted by media brands in the U.S. in an apparent effort to comply with President Trump’s anti-DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies. 

Specifically, 26 of the top 35 media companies rolled back DEI policies and practices, shortly after Trump issued anti-DEI executive orders in January 2025, according to: Complicit: Corporate Media’s Capitulation to Trump’s Attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, a study by Free Press.

“Let’s be clear-eyed about what attacks on DEI really are: an attempt to legitimize discrimination against people of color, women, people with disabilities, religious minorities, LGBTQIA+ people, and others who have faced bigotry in the United States,” says Jessica J. González, co-CEO of Free Press. 

The study claims that the leading method of capitulation to the alleged Trump agenda is folding DEI programs and initiatives. The offenders include companies ranging from Alphabet to Fox Corp., it charges. 

This should be viewed as a hiring story, not necessarily as a political one. But politics will probably creep in at certain points—the real focus is not Trump, but the actions of media companies. 

Other negative practices include discontinuing diversity impact reports stopping sponsorship of DEI-focused events, folding DEI efforts while continuing to market to diverse communities and “hiring anti-DEI zealots to surveil and censor,” the report continues. 

Not all media firms and publishers are following these models. Even in the face of pressure, many are trying to observe what they say are fair hiring practices. 

This transcends the media and includes many types of corporations. 

“Failing to serve as an essential check against tyranny, corporate players are increasingly serving as megaphones for the MAGA movement, putting vulnerable communities at greater risk of attack — and betraying our democratic values,” writes Ruth Livier, Free Press campaign manager and author of the report.

Livier also charges that Trump’s executives orders on DEI “form the foundation of his regime’s efforts to dismantle our democracy. Outside of Trump and his enablers, no one is safe from attack.”

That can be argued. But for now, this serves as a report on the status of DEI in the media business. Free Press chose 35 companies based on their market capitalization, national reach and influence.