Attorney, Seattle Times publisher to receive government-transparency award

Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen and Spokane attorney Duane Swinton will be honored in September for their contributions to transparency in government.

The nonprofit Washington Coalition for Open Government announced this week that Blethen and his newspaper will receive the James Madison Award for his leadership in fighting for open government on many fronts — including the newspaper's aggressive use of public records, its willingness to challenge government secrecy through litigation and its pioneering use of computer data analysis.

"By creating public-service special reports year after year, The Times demonstrates the public good that is made possible by providing access to state records," coalition Vice President Mike Fancher said in a news release. Fancher is a former Times executive editor.

Swinton is a partner in the law firm Witherspoon Kelley Davenport & Tool. He and his law firm will receive the coalition's James Andersen Award. Swinton and his law firm spearheaded the coalition's efforts to litigate a case that protected access to signatures on state referendum and initiative forms, according to the coalition. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that such signatures are generally considered public records.

Coalition board member Patience Rogge said in a release that Swinton and his colleagues had logged hundreds of hours of pro bono work to take the case from its inception all the way to the country's top court.

Blethen and Swinton will be honored at a September breakfast in Seattle.