Times Dismisses Story About Times Business Mistakes

Earlier this week, Bill Richards published a story outlining and criticizing a long line of Blethen-family business decisions for the Seattle Times. Among the stories he recounts is one in which Frank Blethen buys a chain of Maine newspapers because his son Ryan--then a recent college grad, now about to become the paper's editorial page editor--thought it would be a good idea because the state holds sentimental value for the paper. Richards' article quotes Tony Ridder (of Knight-Ridder, and a former Times Board member) as saying that the Times got hosed on the structure of the deal, which has turned out to be a money-loser for the company.

I asked Ryan Blethen whether that account was accurate and whether he had a response. Today, Times Public Affairs Vice President Jill Mackie responded, "We have little to say about it other than that the story is an inaccurate picture of The Seattle Times Company and contains a number of errors and omissions."