Unlike Howell Raines, who wanted to transform the newsroom, Abramson preached newsroom continuity.

NEWYORKER: Changing Times

Their favourite target has long been the New York Times, where they helped to remove the paper's previous editor, Howell Raines.

ECONOMIST: Lexington

The executive editor, Howell Raines, won plaudits after being appointed two years ago and quickly guided the paper to seven Pulitzer Prizes.

ECONOMIST: Crisis management for a top media brand

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Howell Raines.

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Last year, Howell Raines, then editor of the New York Times, eventually fell on his sword in the wake of a similar scandal involving his own star reporter, Jayson Blair.

ECONOMIST: The newspaper industry

In September of that year, convinced that the Times had become lethargic, Sulzberger chose Howell Raines, a distinctly hot personality who had been running the editorial pages, to succeed Joseph Lelyveld, a preternaturally cool Times lifer, as executive editor.

NEWYORKER: Changing Times

In both instances, Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. was quick to demonstrate his support for embattled journalists executive editor Howell Raines and Miller only to withdraw that support after a steady drip-drip of damning revelations provoked unrest in the newsroom.

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