From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Howell Hiram Raines (/ˈhaʊəl reɪns/; born February 5, 1943) is an American journalist, editor, and writer. He was executive editor of The New York Times from 2001 until he left in 2003 in the wake of the scandal related to reporting by Jayson Blair. In 2008, Raines became a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio, writing the magazine's media column. After beginning his journalism career working for Southern newspapers, he joined The Times in 1978, as a national correspondent based in Atlanta. His positions included political correspondent and bureau chief in Atlanta and Washington, DC, before joining the New York City staff in 1993. Raines has also published a novel, two memoirs, an oral history of the civil rights movement, and a history of the Union soldiers from Alabama who played a decisive role in the Civil War and were scrubbed from the history books.