• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

News organizations are being hounded by governments throughout the world. Less than 1% of the global population lives in a country where press freedom is rated as “good,” compared to 20% in 2002, according to the World Press Freedom Index, The Guardian reports. 

Here in the U.S., news organizations are regularly being challenged by the Trump administration, either verbally or in court. And now there are weapons beyond defamation suits that are being used against them.

For instance, the FBI reportedly has commenced a criminal leak investigation into Sarah Fitzpatrick, a journalist working for The Atlantic, over an article she wrote about FBI Director's Kash Patel's alleged drinking habits. 

They are calling this an "insider threat" investigation, MS Now reports. 

Then there's this – news media are increasingly being sued before they have even published a word. 

“One of the biggest challenges to us now isn’t so much what happens afterwards,” said Emma Tucker editor of The Wall Journal,  speaking at the Truth Tellers journalism summit, according to The Guardian. “It’s what happens before you even publish. That is a massive challenge for us." 

The Journal and several other periodicals have been sued for defamation by Donald Trump, although in the past this was not a tactic used by sitting presidents. But pre-emptive lawsuits are a new form of attempted media control. 

“Increasingly it is the case that before you even get to publication, lawsuits come raining down on you – a whole torrent of legal letters come your way. Deep-pocketed people [are] doing this as a PR strategy, because then other journalists then write up ‘look, so-and-so is suing the Wall Street Journal for some reporting that they’re doing’.” 

If this indeed is part if a war against the media, here is yet one more weapon. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued The New York Times for allegedly discriminating against a white male staff member. 

The complaint alleges the decision to not promote the individual was based on the paper’s “stated race and sex-based representation goals,” the Times itself reports. 

The suit, which followed the filing of a complaint with the EEOC, charges that an unnamed editor who had worked at the paper since 2014 was passed over for a deputy editor position in 2025. 

Four candidates “advanced to the panel interview stage matched the race and/or sex characteristics N.Y.T. sought to increase in its leadership,” the complaint says. The final pool included “a white woman, a Black man, an Asian female and a multiracial female."

Reports done by the Times detailed its “express efforts to make employment decisions on the basis of race and sex to achieve its desired demographic goals,” the complaint says. “A decrease in the percentage of White male employees (whether new hires, existing employees or those in leadership, as appropriate) was a necessary consequence for the N.Y.T. to achieve these results.”

Now this may be seen as part of the administration’s battle against Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Or, it can be viewed as part of the administration's battle against the media. The New York Times is fighting a billion dollar lawsuit filed by Trump, and has pursued aggressive reporting regarding the president. We’ll leave the last word to the Times.

“The New York Times categorically rejects the politically motivated allegations brought by the Trump administration’s E.E.O.C.,” said Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokeswoman for the Times. “Our employment practices are merit-based and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world. We will defend ourselves vigorously.”