Marlene Louise Johnson, a former Associated Press reporter who later won discrimination-related changes to the news organization’s hiring practices, has died at 89. Multiple outlets report that Johnson’s lawsuit against the Associated Press addressed alleged discrimination based on race and gender. The Independent and the Washington Times both say her legal action resulted in affirmative action plans intended to increase the hiring of women and journalists from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, including Black and Hispanic candidates.
Both sources frame Johnson as a former AP reporter and describe her lawsuit as a key factor behind subsequent affirmative action measures aimed at improving newsroom diversity. The accounts differ only slightly in additional biographical detail: the Washington Times also refers to her as a former editor at TWT, while The Independent focuses on her career at the Associated Press and the impact of her lawsuit. The reports agree on her age at death and the broad description of the discrimination claims and resulting hiring initiatives.
