Frank A. Blethen

Frank Blethen is a fourth-generation member of the Blethen family, which founded The Seattle Times in 1896. He has been Publisher since 1985, having joined the family business full time in 1968. In 1974, he joined The Seattle Times-owned Walla Walla Union-Bulletin as Publisher. He returned to The Seattle Times in 1980.

A graduate of Arizona State University, Blethen did post-graduate work at Harvard. He is known for his civic involvement and generosity, notably in education, cultural diversity, health, human services and journalism. Blethen is deeply committed to diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion. He is a fierce advocate for the free press, independent journalism, local family newspaper stewardship and preserving family-owned businesses.

In 2019, he spearheaded the Save the Local Free Press newspaper initiative after spending several years to achieve pension stretch-out relief for local family newspapers across the country.

Under Blethen’s leadership, The Seattle Times and the Blethen family have received numerous local and national awards and recognition for ongoing advocacy and commitment to inclusion and diversity. Since the early 1990s, The Seattle Times has consistently been ranked among the most diverse newsrooms in the country. In 1990, Blethen received the Media Award from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission. He is the 1997 recipient of the prestigious Ida B. Wells Award for distinguished leadership in increasing access and opportunities to people of color in journalism and improving the coverage of communities of color in American media. In addition, The Seattle Times was awarded the 2013 TACTC Partner of the Year Award by Seattle Community Colleges Board of Trustees.

Blethen pioneered direct community funding for public-service journalism and created community-funded labs for education, traffic, homelessness and investigative journalism. He also led The Seattle Times’ highly successful transformation into a combination print and digital journalism organization.

The Seattle Times has won 11 Pulitzer Prizes and been a finalist 14 times. Eight of the prizes and all 14 finalists were on Blethen’s watch representing the fourth generations of Blethen family stewardship. Blethen is also president of the Blethen Corporation Board, the family holding company for The Seattle Times.