Sept 4 (Reuters) - Gannett, the largest U.S.

newspaper publisher, won the dismissal of most of a lawsuit,

including all class action claims, alleging its diversity

policies led to widespread discrimination against white

journalists.

U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston said on Wednesday the

plaintiffs offered no proof that Gannett's ( GCI ) alleged "reverse race

discrimination policy" caused similar harm across its hundreds

of media outlets, which include USA Today, such that affected

employees could sue as a group rather than individually.

"Plaintiffs would all be seeking relief based on different

theories of recovery, based on different positions, at different

newspapers, in different areas of the country, with different

decisionmakers," the Alexandria, Virginia-based judge wrote.

Alston, an appointee of President Donald Trump, also said

the proposed class would include "large swaths" of employees

including human resources, information technology and perhaps

janitorial staff who suffered no adverse employment actions.

Five former Gannett journalists said they were fired, pushed to

resign or passed over for promotions, under a 2020 policy

under which Gannett committed to have its newsrooms reflect the

racial and ethnic demographics of communities they cover by

2025.

The New York-based company has said its Inclusion Report,

which the plaintiffs cited as evidence of alleged racial basis,

did not establish quotas or require specific mechanisms to

achieve its "aspirational goals" regarding workplace diversity.

Alston dismissed four of the plaintiffs from the case.

He let the plaintiff Logan Barry, a former reporter for the

Progress-Index in Petersburg, Virginia, sue for allegedly being

denied a chance to seek a promotion ultimately awarded to a less

qualified Black woman.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to

requests for comment on Thursday.

Gannett declined to comment, saying it does not discuss pending

litigation. The company was based in McLean, Virginia when the

lawsuit began in August 2023.

Trump has made the elimination of corporate diversity

policies a priority in his second White House term.

The case is Bradley et al v Gannett Co ( GCI ), U.S. District Court,

Eastern District of Virginia, No. 23-01100.