About Us (Updated October 15, 2008)

The first issue of the Cheyenne Herald was published on January 30, 2002.

The front-page, feature story in that first issue was headlined: “DOWNTOWN GARAGE”. In the story, we challenged the need and wisdom of constructing a facility which we predicted would not be used and could not pay for itself. That forecast was prophetic. Now, in late 2008, the City government has acknowledged their mistake and is seeking to add surface parking lots around the downtown. That was the best course of action in 2001 and is still the best course of action. The parking garage will forever be a financial drain – some because of its placement and some because Wyoming people prefer to park close to their destination, not blocks away in a dark and secluded enclosure that is unsafe and inconvenient. The second issue of the Cheyenne Herald featured extensive coverage on the first of several illegal annexations approved by the governing body of the City of Cheyenne. Those two stories established this upstart publication as the reliable source of information and the rest, as they say, is history.

There were sixteen issues published in 2002 and a publication day of Monday was established. In 2003 and 2004, twenty-five issues of the Cheyenne Herald were published each year. The present frequency is bi-weekly, with an occasional three week interval. For the past nearly four years, twenty-four issues were published each year. The first six issues were printed in Fort Collins at a non-newpaper printer and all subsequent issues have been printed at the Torrington Telegram in Torrington, Wyoming. Most issues are twelve pages, with an occasional sixteen page publication. There has been one twenty page issue and in one political season, an extra eight page issue. A print quantity of 5,000 has been maintained and there have been several full color issues printed.

The Cheyenne Herald is unique in that it has no public office, no listed telephone no. and no employees. Financial support comes in the form of advertising, subscriptions, and non-deductible contributions. It is said that this independent newspaper is Cheyenne’s longest running paper of its type. Public support - in readership, praise and financial - has been outstanding and has kept the Cheyenne Herald alive.

When the Cheyenne Herald was started, its long-term future was unknown. Few, including the publisher, were certain that the new publication would be around in 2008. But it is and the future is full of promise. Stories presented in the Cheyenne Herald are not typical newspaper fodder. Our stories are well-researched and presented from our perspectives. Readers may agree. Readers may disagree. Readers can decide how to pigeon-hole the stories. Stories are presented with humor and our source materials are generally public records and public utterances. There is no editorial board to set direction, only the publisher decides what does or does not make our pages. The policy is that no outside stories are sought nor printed. The exceptions have been few and far between.

Some time back, an editor for the local daily newspaper in Cheyenne intended to slur the Cheyenne Herald by referring to it as “the local advocacy journal.” In spite of our trying to coin a line that we were comfortable in claiming, we had not been able to do it up until that time. Then, someone who was trying to insult what we do came up with the perfect description. The Cheyenne Herald is the local advocacy journal. No other Wyoming publication comes close to the level of advocacy, frequency of advocacy, or success of advocacy that this independent publication does.

Our mission will continue to be first, to be best, to be accurate, to be truthful, and to be there.

Individuals and groups in Cheyenne constantly contact the Herald with concerns and complaints of inattention, disinterest, abuse and ignorance on the part of public employees and elected officials. The public also brings stories of wasteful spending and decisions by elected officials and public employees that often border on fraud. Our concentration is on city government in Cheyenne and county government in Laramie County. And, over time, we have been drawn more and more into matters or injustice. Occasionally, we will pursue stories that involve state government. We generally leave coverage of national and international affairs to the media outlets with the resources to do a better job.

During the nearly seven years of publishing the Cheyenne Herald, this publication has become the “paper of record” and the “go-to” place in more than Cheyenne and Laramie County. Contacts come from around Wyoming and sometimes from outside our borders.

Political advertising has become a major source of revenue as candidates have learned that no other publication is read or watched as fervently and thoroughly as the Cheyenne Herald. While the Herald is dependent to some extent on advertising, it has never allowed advertising or any advertiser to determine the storylines or investigations undertaken. Unlike other print media, the Cheyenne Herald does not pay to enter “contests” and belongs to no print association. The only “award” that matters to us is being read and being helpful with understanding local issues and used to provoke thought and deliberation. Being independent, to us, means being independent.

It has been a grand adventure and, at least for the foreseeable future, will continue to be an uncompleted journey. We appreciate readers support. Without that interest, we would have become just a bi-weekly Wyoming Tribune-Eagle.