Gannett

USA Today, NewsQuest, numerous local news media outlets
Virginia
Media and Entertainment

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Gannett demoted a deputy editor for stating that men cannot get pregnant, though the company did not fully cave to employee demands that the editor be fired. Gannett scored a 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. By complying with Human Rights Campaign's controversial demands, Gannett increases the risk of dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. The company covers transgender-related medical costs for its employees and their children and provides specific sexual orientation and gender identity-based benefits. It also uses sex and gender ideology criteria in employee recruitment, vendor selection, marketing, and philanthropic support. Gannett forces employees to undergo multiple ideological trainings and uses its reputation, corporate funds, and political influence to support controversial sex and gender ideologies, organizations, and legislation. Gannett has donated to many different advocacy organizations and supported the 2020 BLM protests. For these reasons, Gannett receives a High Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

In 2022, primary Gannett publication USA Today demoted its deputy editorial page editor for tweeting his position that men cannot get pregnant. Gannett’s LGBTQ Employee Research Committee lobbied for the editor to be fired, although the publication appears to have compromised despite the growing progressivism within the publication’s leadership (1)(2). Gannett received a score of 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (3)(4).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Gannett’s HRC CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Gannett‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides gender transition guidelines for its employees and specific benefits guide with a comprehensive explanation of transgender services funded by the company (1)(2). Gannett protects its employees against viewpoint discrimination (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Gannett‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy (1)(2). By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Gannett sent a memo to its journalists urging them to remain neutral on their public social media platforms (3).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Gannett‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. Additionally, the company has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Gannett has donated to numerous advocacy organizations, including BLM, the American Civil Liberties Union, Color of Change, Planned Parenthood, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and the Southern Poverty Law Center (3)(4).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Gannett‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Gannett does not operate a PAC or report on its lobbying at this time (3)(4)(5).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 27, 2024

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