Boardman Bulletin: Why a Family Staked Its Legacy on the Power of Local News

In the quiet of the morning, with the first light hitting the Columbia River, there’s a familiar ritual in many Boardman homes: the rustle of newsprint. It’s a connection to the community, a record of our lives from school board decisions to farm reports. That tangible link is something Frank Blethen, publisher of The Seattle Times, believed was worth everything.

While our local news comes from different sources, Blethen’s story resonates in any small town. Faced with a digital revolution and corporate chains buying up family-owned papers, he made a staggering choice. He didn’t sell. Instead, he invested his family’s entire fortune to preserve independent journalism in the Pacific Northwest.

For us in Boardman, the principle hits close to home. It’s about who tells our stories. When a major employer like the Boardman Foods plant expands, or when debates over water rights heat up, we need reporters who know the lay of the land, not a distant corporate office. Blethen’s gamble was that a community thrives when its newspaper is a guardian, not just a business.

His commitment is a stark reminder as local news deserts spread across the country. It underscores the value of supporting the outlets that cover our city council meetings, our high school sports triumphs, and our local economy. The next time you read about a Port of Morrow project or a local charity drive, remember it’s the result of someone’s dedication to keeping the lights on for community news—a dedication worth its weight in gold, and sometimes, a family’s fortune.