As I ready to step away from my function at The Seattle Instances with the shut of 2025, I discovered myself reflecting not on a single second, however on a lifetime of service — service to journalism, to this extraordinary metropolis and to the readers who’ve trusted us for generations. It has been the good honor of my life to assist steward one of many only a few remaining family-owned newspapers in America. That distinction has by no means been about nostalgia or custom for custom’s sake. It’s about independence. In regards to the freedom to pursue reality with out concern or favor, to put money into long-term journalism and to put public service above quarterly returns.
Through the years, The Seattle Instances has produced work that makes me deeply proud — reporting that has held establishments accountable, illuminated injustice, celebrated resilience and helped this area higher perceive itself. From investigations that sparked reform to storytelling that captured the center of our communities, our newsroom has constantly proven what journalism at its greatest will be: rigorous, truthful, humane and important.
None of that work occurs in isolation. It occurs due to a neighborhood that cares — readers who have interaction, query, problem and help; journalists who convey integrity and braveness to their craft each day; and a metropolis that believes a free and unbiased press issues.
Seattle has formed me as a lot as I’ve beloved serving it. It is a metropolis of thinkers and doers, of compassion and conviction, of innovation paired with a deep sense of duty to 1 one other. To have had a front-row seat to its progress, its struggles and its progress has been a privilege I don’t take flippantly.
To our readers, close to and much, thanks. Thanks for inviting us into your houses, your conversations and your lives. Thanks for holding us to excessive requirements and for sharing our perception that journalism completed with care and conscience strengthens democracy itself.
As I flip the web page, I achieve this with immense gratitude and confidence in the way forward for The Seattle Instances. The mission endures. The dedication to this neighborhood endures. And my appreciation for all of you endures most of all. As of Jan. 1, my son Ryan Blethen succeeds me as Seattle Instances writer. He has 30 years of journalism expertise and a deep dedication to the Blethen household legacy, and I do know he’ll do an excellent job main The Instances into the long run.
