Frank A. Blethen, publisher and chief executive officer of The Seattle Times, will speak at Washington State University on Friday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. in Bryan Hall Auditorium. His topic will be “Edward R. Murrow and the 21st Century Threat to Democracy.”
Blethen is a fourth-generation member of the Blethen family, which founded The Seattle Times in 1896. He has been publisher and chief executive officer since 1985, having joined the family business full-time in 1968. He has held a variety of executive positions at The Times in circulation, advertising, marketing and labor.
A graduate of Arizona State University, Blethen has done post-graduate work at Harvard. In 1998, he received the Edward R. Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism from WSU’s School of Communication.
Blethen is known for his civic involvement and generosity in donating to many causes in the community, most notably in the areas of higher education, cultural diversity and health and human services. He is deeply committed to diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion. His other passions include his family, preserving family business and independent journalism.
The presentation, sponsored by the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication, is free and open to students, faculty, staff and the public.
