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August 20, 2025 – USA –
Veteran Boston journalist Lisa Hughes, a longtime anchor at WBZ-TV (CBS Boston), has filed a $4 million lawsuit against CBS, alleging that she was removed from her anchor role because she is white. Hughes, an Emmy-winning reporter with more than two decades at the station, claims the decision reflects a discriminatory application of the network’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda rather than a fair employment decision.
According to the lawsuit, Hughes had consistently high ratings and an established reputation as a respected anchor. However, in 2022, CBS executives allegedly informed her that her position was being reassigned in order to promote “greater diversity” on-air. She contends that her race was the primary factor in the decision, and that younger, less-experienced journalists of color were elevated to prime-time positions at her expense. Hughes argues that this amounts to reverse discrimination, violating federal civil rights laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on race.
Hughes’s suit also highlights that CBS publicly embraced DEI commitments in the wake of the 2020 racial justice movement, pledging to diversify leadership and staff across its platforms. While she claims to support diversity in principle, Hughes asserts that the network crossed the line into unlawful racial bias, effectively punishing veteran white journalists like herself for circumstances beyond their control.
CBS has not issued a detailed response, but sources indicate the company denies the claims and maintains its hiring and promotion practices comply with the law. The case has already sparked debate in Boston and beyond, with some commentators framing it as a test of how corporate DEI initiatives intersect with existing anti-discrimination protections. Critics of Hughes’s lawsuit argue that DEI policies are necessary to correct historic imbalances in media representation, while supporters see the case as an example of companies using race-based criteria in ways that may backfire legally.
The lawsuit adds to a growing number of workplace challenges filed across industries where employees allege that DEI goals have led to preferential treatment or reverse discrimination. For CBS, the case raises both reputational risks and potential legal consequences, particularly as the media industry faces scrutiny over how it balances diversity efforts with equal opportunity principles.
Reference –
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/emmy-winning-journalist-claims-cbs-175008916.html?guccounter=1
