RAINES' WASHINGTON DAYS IN REVIEW

By: Joe Strupp A Look Back At DC Bureau Leadership


When Howell Raines ran The New York Times' Washington
bureau between 1988 and 1992 -- his last newsroom-management tour
of duty -- he emphasized aggressive reporting, mobilized quickly
for big stories, and let rising stars flourish, say former
colleagues and observers.

Some critics, however, view Raines' approach as having advanced a
star system in the Washington bureau that gave support only to
his favorite writers, almost to the point of pet status. "He
really transformed the culture into one where you were in or you
were out," one former bureau employee tells E&P. "He'd
close the door and talk with his pets, and if you were out, you
were out." (Raines could not be reached for comment on this
story.)

His coddling of writers, such as Maureen Dowd, is largely
credited with helping them reach later levels of prominence.
"There have been scattered rumblings about a star system," says
Howard Kurtz, media writer for The Washington Post. "He
was a very strong figure in the bureau and occasionally rubbed
some people the wrong way."

But other veterans, such as David Corn, 14-year Washington editor
for The Nation, praise Raines for keeping big egos in
check. "Managing that bureau is kind of like managing the New
York Knicks," Corn says. "It has fading stars and rising stars,
and he knows how to recognize different talents and let them
write."

While Raines is known as an outspoken, liberal voice on the
Times editorial page, his experience in the Washington
bureau shows a mix of hardline coverage on both liberal and
conservative issues, as well as a propensity for throwing a lot
of resources at big stories.

"He has a good sense of where a story is headed and how to get
ahead of it," says Philip Taubman, the Times' assistant
editorial page editor who served as Raines' deputy in Washington.
"He's smart at figuring out the different pieces." Taubman cites
the Times' heavy coverage of the Clarence Thomas hearings
and the first Clinton/Whitewater stories (as early as March 7,
1992) as examples of Raines' approach.

Raines also is remembered for his early criticism of the Clinton
administration and his willingness to rake Clinton over the
coals. "He was seen by President Clinton's top aides as having
something of a personal grudge against Clinton," Kurtz recalls.
"For those who think he is some kind of a knee-jerk liberal, the
tough stand against Clinton suggests a different picture."

But Kurtz also points out that Raines and the Times were
among the last to cover the Gennifer Flowers story in early 1992,
eventually giving only a few paragraphs to the affair, despite
full-blown coverage from competitors. "That's one story I think
he'd like to have back," Kurtz says.

When the Persian Gulf War broke out in 1991, Raines emerged as
one of the most outspoken critics of the Pentagon's efforts to
muzzle press access. In his book, "Second Front: Censorship and
Propaganda in the Gulf War," John R. MacArthur cites letters
Raines wrote to the U.S. Defense Department demanding an end to
such practices as military escorts for reporters.

In the end, Raines' experience in Washington can't help but raise
speculation that he will turn more attention to political and
government coverage as executive editor. "Washington
correspondents will think this is a good thing for Washington
news," Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times D.C. bureau chief,
says of Raines' new post. "He likes politics and government,
which us Washington types think of as the lifeblood of newspaper
reporting."



Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) is an associate editor for E&P.



Copyright 2001, Editor & Publisher.