The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims that the newspaper favored diversity goals over merit in promotion decisions The New York Times has been sued by a US government agency over allegations that its diversity policies led to discrimination against a white male employee in a newsroom promotion decision. The lawsuit, filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday, centers on the appointment of a deputy real estate editor in 2025. The agency alleges that the newspaper violated federal law by passing over the employee because of his race and sex. According to the complaint, the senior editor, who had worked at the paper since 2014, was more qualified for the position but was excluded from the final round of interviews.  The EEOC said the decision was influenced by the newspaper’s publicly stated diversity goals, including a 2021 initiative aimed at increasing the number of women and people of color in leadership positions.…