Howell Raines

Howell Hiram Raines (born February 5, 1943 in Birmingham, Alabama) was Executive Editor of The New York Times from 2001 until he left in 2003 in the wake of the Jayson Blair scandal. In 2008, he became a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio, writing the magazine's media column; the magazine folded in 2009.

Early career

Raines earned a bachelor's degree from Birmingham-Southern College in 1964 and later a master's in English from The University of Alabama. The University of Alabama also awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1993. In September of 1964, Raines began his newspaper career as a reporter for the Birmingham Post-Herald in Alabama. He also reported for WBRC-TV in Birmingham. After a year as a reporter at the Birmingham News, Raines became political editor of the Atlanta Constitution in 1971. His position at the newspaper lasted until 1976, when he became political editor at the St. Petersburg Times.

The New York Times

Raines' affiliation with The New York Times began in 1978, when he joined as a national correspondent based in Atlanta. By 1979, Raines was the bureau chief in Atlanta, a position where he remained until 1981, when he became a national political correspondent. By the next year, Raines had been promoted to a White House correspondent for The Times. His ascent within management continued in 1985, when he became deputy Washington editor. In 1987, Raines transferred to London and worked as the newspaper's London bureau chief. The next year, he returned to Washington D.C. to become the Washington bureau chief. In 1992, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. His longest lasting assignment within The Times began in 1993, when he left Washington for New York to become the paper's editorial page editor, a position he held for eight years.

He was appointed Executive Editor in September 2001, serving until May 2003, when controversy stemming from the Jayson Blair scandal led to his resignation. A Times internal investigation revealed that 36 of the 73 national stories Blair filed with the paper over a six-month period were marred by faked deadlines or evidence of plagiarism. Raines was faulted for continuing to publish Blair months after the paper's metro editor, Jonathan Landman, sent him a memo warning that "we have to stop Jayson from writing for The Times. Right now."

The Blair inquiry soon revealed widespread discontent among Times staffers about Raines' management style, which was described as arbitrary and heavy-handed. During a closed meeting among Times reporters the deputy metropolitan editor, Joe Sexton, was quoted as telling Raines and the managing editor, Gerald Boyd, "I believe that at a deep level you guys have lost the confidence of many parts of the newsroom... People feel less led than bullied." "I hope things settle down and we get a decent executive editor who's reasonable," added Jerelle Kraus, art director for the newspaper's weekend section. "Howell Raines is someone who is feared."

His own investigation led the paper's owner, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr., to the conclusion that Raines had alienated most of the New York and Washington bureaus. Raines' resignation, along with that of Gerald Boyd, was announced in The Times on June 5, 2003. In an interview that aired on the Charlie Rose show the following July 11, Raines admitted that Sulzberger had "asked" him to "step aside."

Current activities

Raines took a look at his tenure as Executive Editor in "My Times", published in the Atlantic Monthly, and again in his memoir The One that Got Away, which came out in 2006. In it, Raines juxtaposes fishing stories with his journalism career, with particular attention to what led up to the Jayson Blair scandal.

Raines appeared as a guest on the television show The Colbert Report on July 24, 2006. He and Colbert's discussion touched on subjects including the release of his new book and the Jayson Blair scandal.

On January 14, 2008, it was announced that Raines will become a media columnist for Condé Nast Portfolio. His first column was published in the March issue of the magazine, and analyzed the possibilities of Rupert Murdoch buying, and therewith, from Raines' point of view, damaging The New York Times.

Raines penned an op-ed in the March 14, 2010 edition of The Washington Post that was highly critical of Fox News Channel and the fact that journalists leave Fox's journalism largely unchecked, without mentioning his role in the Jayson Blair incident.

Books

In addition to his work as a journalist, Raines has published several books; My Soul Is Rested and Whiskey Man in 1977 and Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis in 1993. He contributed to Campaign Money, published in 1976. The One that Got Away: A Memoir was published in 2006.

External links

• Portfolio column
• Booknotes interview with Raines on Fly Fishing Through the Mid Life Crisis, May 1, 1994.