Howell Hiram Raines, born on February 5, 1943, in Birmingham, Alabama, is an American journalist who grew up during the civil rights era and brought a distinctive Southern perspective to his work. He began his career at Southern newspapers, including the Birmingham Post-Herald and the St. Petersburg Times, before joining The New York Times in 1978 as a national correspondent based in Atlanta. He later served as political correspondent, Atlanta bureau chief, and Washington, D.C., bureau chief, moving to the New York City staff in 1993. Raines is an accomplished author, with notable works including the Pulitzer finalist 'My Soul Is Rested: Movement Days in the Deep South Remembered' (1977), 'Whiskey Man' (1990), and his memoir 'Hayseed' (2024). He earned recognition for his coverage of Southern politics and civil rights, including the American Society of Newspaper Editors Award. Appointed executive editor of The New York Times in September 2001, he served until June 2003, resigning amid the Jayson Blair fabrication scandal. Afterward, he contributed as a media columnist for Condé Nast Portfolio in 2008.