Chicago mayor sued over discriminatory policy

June 11, 2021 Carley Shaffer US 0

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 07: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks to guests at an event held to celebrate Pride Month at the Center on Halstead, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community center, on June 07, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. Lightfoot is the first openly gay mayor of the city of Chicago. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks to guests at an event held to celebrate Pride Month at the Center on Halstead. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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UPDATED 5:45 PM PT – Friday, June 11, 2021

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) is being sued by a Daily Caller journalist for racial discrimination. Reporter Thomas Catenacci is one of two white journalists that were denied interviews of Lightfoot after she announced a new policy granting interviews to only “journalists of color.”

Catenacci reportedly filed the suit last month. On Monday, the mayor’s attorneys argued there is no proof the policy she announced was in effect. Although, attorneys for Catenacci responded saying there is no evidence that the policy was not in effect.

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2019, file photo, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot talks to reporters after meeting with House Democrats at the state Capitol, in Springfield, Ill. Lightfoot announced Wednesday, May 19, 2021, that she will grant one-on-one interviews to mark the two-year anniversary of her inauguration solely to journalists of color, saying she has been struck by the “overwhelming whiteness and maleness of Chicago media outlets.” (AP Photo/John O'Connor, File)

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot talks to reporters after meeting with House Democrats at the state Capitol, in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/John O’Connor, File)

However, at a press conference on Friday, Lightfoot argued the policy does exist and was a necessary part of diversity and inclusion. “The fact the City Hall press corps is overwhelmingly white, has very little in the way of diversity, is an embarrassment,” said Lightfoot.

The mayor also said she “started a long overdue conversation about diversity in newsrooms.” Lightfoot said she kickstarted discussions because she has concerns regarding the “mostly whiteness and maleness” of the city’s news outlets.