Lawsuit claims rampant sex harassment, race discrimination at N.Y. Post
Filed under: People, Media, News Corp.
Nobody ever accused the New York Post of being a hotbed of political correctness. But according to a lawsuit filed Monday, the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid is more than just another rowdy newsroom where off-color jokes are tolerated -- it's a place where women are harassed and propositioned by their male bosses, minority workers are mocked and marginalized, and those who object too loudly are subject to retaliation.Those are the allegations of Sandra Guzman, a former associate editor who was terminated by the Post last month. The only black or Hispanic female editor at the right-wing tabloid, she was also the only staffer to go public with her disapproval of a cartoon published in March that was seen by many as a racist attack on President Obama and led to protests outside the Post's offices (pictured). Her dismissal provoked speculation that she had been fired in retribution for breaking ranks and giving the paper's critics ammunition.
But the claims in Guzman's complaint go way beyond the notorious cartoon and its aftermath. The work environment at the Post, she says, "is permeated with racist and sexist conduct and comments toward employees of color and women." And that conduct originates very much at the top, in the person of Col Allan, the paper's Australian editor.
"Defendant Allan's repeated inappropriate and sexist comments and conduct have been widely known throughout the Company, and he wields the unchecked power and authority to engage in such improper conduct with impunity," the suit alleges.
The evidence Guzman marshals to back this claim ranges from the mild (the old news that Allan treated visiting Australian politicians to a night out at a strip club) to the moderately alarming (Allan allegedly showed female employees a photo of a nude man on his BlackBerry) to the outright criminal ("Defendant Allan approached a female employee during a party at the Post, rubbed his penis up against her and made sexually suggestive comments about her body, including about her breasts").
Not Quite a Genteel Guy
Allan is known as a profane, hard-drinking and brazenly unapologetic man who delights in tweaking the sensitivities of others, including those of his underlings. His behavior is anything but genteel: According to a 2007 profile in New York, Allan used to urinate in a washbasin during editorial meetings as a means of asserting his unfettered prerogative.
But pissing in a sink is one thing; singling out female employees for gropes and come-ons is another. I contacted the Post seeking Allan's response to the allegations. A spokeswoman for the paper offered this statement: "This lawsuit has no merit and is based on charges that are groundless. As previously stated, Ms. Guzman's position was eliminated when the section she edited was discontinued due to a decline in advertising sales."
One potential weakness in Guzman's case is its heavy reliance on anonymous claims. The woman Allan allegedly rubbed up against at the party isn't identified, nor are the women to whom he showed his BlackBerry porn, nor is the "high-ranking White editor" who allegedly confirmed to Guzman that she had really been fired for speaking out.
Guzman's attorney, Kenneth Thompson, said the employees cited anonymously in the complaint will be identified during the course of litigation, and many of them will be called as witnesses in the event of a trial. Guzman herself declined, via Thompson, to be interviewed.
A Deep-Rooted Problem?
I contacted officials from the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the New York State Department of Labor to see if any of them have received complaints about discrimination at the Post, but I haven't heard back from any of them. I did, however, hear from James Rucker, co-founder and executive director of ColorofChange.org, a group that, among other activities, has been leading the effort to convince advertisers to boycott Glenn Beck's Fox News program.
Here's Rucker's response: "Clearly, News Corp. has a problem when it comes to race.... [I]f Guzman's accusations hold any basis, that further solidifies the notion that race-baiting and racial discrimination aren't just in the programming of News Corp. properties, or limited to Fox News -- it's a problem that has its roots at the top and has penetrated into the culture of the workplace."



























Reader Comments (Page 1 of 11)
11-10-2009 @ 5:11PM
ali said...
This equal opportunity ho is looking for her winning lotto ticket. Sounds like a wonderful lawsuit. I heard this and that from these sources. This is heresay at its finest
So what harassmnet or racist stuff hapened to is Guzman? Sounds like nothing except getting canned. I guess Ms. Guzman thinks if you are a Black/Latina female there is a law that you cannot be fired even if the company you work for is going downhill. She is probably too ungly to have anyone rub their penis against her !!!!
Reply
11-10-2009 @ 6:34PM
Bebe said...
You are a disgusting jerk.
11-10-2009 @ 10:52PM
jane su said...
anybody, male or female, who calls a woman a ho is just an uneducated, misogynistic, ghetto fool. go to college, you're just a piece of trash, really.
11-12-2009 @ 6:29AM
michael westman said...
ah...another satisfied Post reader.....a Murdoch demographic
11-12-2009 @ 6:33AM
nightrain said...
PH/U
11-12-2009 @ 9:22PM
sieben13 said...
Its IDIOTIC statements like this need to be address in to many of your work places ,The ONLY way to rectify situations like these are # 1 don't buy this GARBAGE paper,# 2 Sue them ,take away what is their God "MONEY"
11-12-2009 @ 7:51AM
Lazarus Long said...
Bingo! The bitch is trying to ride the Affirmative Action train all the way to Gravytown.
I like how the author contacted some black journalist association to get their take on it. Why didn't he contact their counterparts in the KKK to get their take,too?
OOOP! That's right. The Tan Klan is a protected organization that is beyond criticism,too. Only whites can be punished for racism.
I also like the totally unbiased way they slipped in the "fact" that Fox News is racially prejudiced,despite the fact they were not a part of or mentioned in the complaint.
Seems to me like the author of this piece is flying his leftist flag,and has more than a few biases of his own.
11-12-2009 @ 10:10AM
Ron said...
Only an idiot like Ali would make such an idiotic, insensitive, sexist and racist statements. Perhaps his behavior at his workplace is tolerated. But such childish behavior of Allen is believable. I stop reading th New York Post over 30 years ago when Australian native Rupert Murdock brought the paper. In my opinion, Murdock's trying to establish a committee of diversity is liken to Hitler trying to establish a peace forum with orthodox Jews or David Duke trying to diversify African Americans in the 1960's. I treat this newspaper just like a rag that polarizes people.
11-12-2009 @ 10:01AM
awrealtor said...
Unfortunately, as the economy continue to go bad and employees need their jobs more and more, this will be fuel for some managers to exhibit sexist,racist, and insensitive behavior. It's a problem with their hearts and their souls and unfortunately they will never change until people get the courage to stand up against them. Unfortunately, there will be many more victims before these monsters are contained.
11-12-2009 @ 12:04PM
FC said...
Dear Ignorant MF,
Obviously you missed the intent of the lawsuits which settle grievances against people. People in lawsuits are found on CNN or other news channels that you probably DO NOT frequent. In lieu of the fact that your trailer park may NOT pick up the NEWS or you definately do NOT want to watch the NEWS you have to differentiate between news AND lawsuits. Maybe the closed caption letters should be larger so you could read them better or possibly you are just illiterate. It appears that you maybe coming out of a homophobic phase and need reassurance in your sexuality. Calling someone a "Ho" is definately trailer park...if you clean up your act you too may see others where color does not matter.
11-12-2009 @ 3:56PM
Grim McGriddlecakes said...
I'm sure half of you don't even know what The Post looks like, don't live in New York and sure as hell don't read The Post.
The Post is a horribly constructed, piece of sh*t paper.
Bottom line.
11-10-2009 @ 6:47PM
keith said...
Left-wing Op-ed trying to be journalism. Can't ever fire people of Guzman's persuasion, even if the department is shut down, else it's racist/sexist, or some other kind of -ist. Answer? Don't hire 'em in the first place.
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11-12-2009 @ 7:56AM
Lazarus Long said...
The Post never had the option to NOT hire her. They could refuse to hire a white woman,but not a minority woman. Refusing to hire here would have led to a lawsuit right off the bat.
You see,in modern America,some pigs really ARE more equal than other pigs.
11-12-2009 @ 7:59AM
originlcin said...
The NY Post is right-wing op-ed passing itself off as journalism. Have you ever read Michelle Malkin or Maggie Gallagher's whiny complaining columns? Or Ralph Peters? Where do these idiots get their info from? Of course, then they can keep repeating how the media is liberal and sheeple will buy it b/c they're too stupid to intelligently analyze anything.
11-12-2009 @ 8:43AM
Susan said...
You sheeple have made Rupert Murdoch rich by insatiably gobbling up the crap this carpetbagger peddles via his vast media holdings...and you're too stupid to see it. Hate sells, and you're all suckers. Discrimination against minorities, women, the poor...that's the neo-conservative platform. The NY Post, Fox News...whatever. You're all just dancing along to this self-serving fascist's tune, and who's getting rich?? Not you, that's for sure.
11-10-2009 @ 8:27PM
randy said...
Guess she figured her boy barry wasn't movin fast enough on that redistribution of wealth so she would step it up a notch. one thing for sure the barry administration has put a new spin on the word racist. Thats the change you can believe in. Silly canadians
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11-12-2009 @ 8:33AM
J.L Webb said...
Well my goodness Randy after she was laid off by ACORN she needed to double up and catch up. Gotta keep up appearances dont we.
11-10-2009 @ 7:13PM
educated said...
Race is something imposed
Treat your people with faith
God bless and thank you for your hate
We will only turn the cheek and let Jesus Judge
ali, helped us see how hate and let him be judged or welcomed by
Heaven or hell
Reply
11-10-2009 @ 7:10PM
Bud said...
Was this supposed to be an editorial or a news article?
This is something which would qualify as a legitimate news article on the lamestream, state-run alphabet soup networks; it would qualify for one of the opinion programs on Fox News.
Reply
11-10-2009 @ 7:14PM
editor said...
Race is something imposed
Treat your people with faith
God bless and thank you for your hate
We will only turn the cheek and let Jesus Judge
ali, helped us see how hate and let him be judged or welcomed by
Heaven or hell
Reply