Two black female employees at The New York Times are taking the paper to court, claiming its executives created an “an environment rife with discrimination”. Says the lawsuit:

“Unbeknownst to the world at large, not only does the Times have an ideal customer (young, white, wealthy), but also an ideal staffer (young, white, unencumbered with a family) to draw that purported ideal customer. In furtherance of these discriminatory goals, the Times has created a workplace rife with disparities.”

The plaintiffs, 62-year-old Ernestine Grant and 61-year-old Marjorie Walker, blame chief executive Mark Thompson and chief operating officer Meredith Levien for the culture of discrimination. The Times denies all charges.