The US media outlet New York Times is facing a lawsuit from two of its shareholders over demands for internal records related to the newspaper's editorial standards and coverage of Israel.
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The State Board of Administration of Florida, which manages the state's public pension fund, and the National Center for Public Policy Research filed the petition in a Manhattan court on Wednesday. They are seeking access to company records under New York law, Reuters reported.
The groups allege that errors in Times reports and what they describe as biased coverage of Israel raise questions about whether its board is properly overseeing the newspaper’s editorial standards. They have denied seeking to influence the paper’s editorial decisions.
A Times spokesperson rejected the allegations.
“This lawsuit has no merit and was brought for an improper purpose,” Charlie Stadtlander said, adding that the case was an attempt to pressure an independent media organisation. He said the newspaper would “defend against the suit vigorously.”
The petition also refers to claims from a former Times newsroom employee who worked at the paper for about a decade and alleged that concerns over anti-Israel bias were previously raised internally.
Florida's pension fund manages assets for more than 1.2 million retirees and held about $235.7 billion in assets as of August 31, according to the fund's website.
