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. In late 2008, the City government acknowledged their mistake and added a surface parking lot on the east end of the downtown. Surface parking lots and leasing existing parking spaces would have been the best courses of action in 2001 and remain the wisest courses of action in 2011. The nameless (no one wants their name attached to the failed $10 million underused structure) 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 in 2002 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 in Cheyenne 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 several years, twenty-four issues were published each year, with Tuesday becoming the “on street” day. The first six issues were printed in Fort Collins at a non-newspaper 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 was one twenty page issue and in one political season, an extra eight page issue was published. A print quantity of 5,000 has been maintained and there have been several full color issues printed. Four color advertising is offered on certain pages during political campaign windows.
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 with a very loud voice 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 it was announced that the publication would cease at the end of 2011, many readers sought reconsideration and the announced ending date now is within ten days after the November 2012 general election. There is virtually no likelihood of that date being extended.
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 2011. But it is and this publication has been described by a major business executive in Cheyenne as the “must read newspaper.” Stories presented in the Cheyenne Herald are not typical daily newspaper fodder. It is not wire service tripe. 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 some humor and our source materials are often public records and public utterances. Readers have granted us credibility – such cannot be claimed. It has to be earned. Names are usually not used in articles. The facts make the story, not the individuals. There is no editorial board to set direction. Only the publisher decides what does or does not make our pages. The policy is that outside stories are not 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. There is no question about that. No other Wyoming publication comes close to the level of advocacy, frequency of advocacy, nor success of advocacy that this independent publication provides.
Our mission will continue to be First, to be Best, to be Accurate, to be Honest, and to be There. Right up until the end.
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 of injustice and wrongful incarceration. 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. But, opinions sometimes are shared on issues that have captured the national and international stages.
During the more than nine 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. A link to the Cheyenne Herald was provided on the pages of the Guardian in the UK after a local judge foolishly granted a temporary restraining order against this publication. He soon revoked the TRO but the die had been cast and the Cheyenne Herald had gained worldwide attention for being the victim of deprivation of our basic First Amendment and Free Speech rights.
Political advertising has become a major source of revenue as candidates have learned that no other publication is read or followed 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 in town, 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, until late 2012, the Cheyenne Herald will continue on its uncompleted journey. We appreciate readers support. Without that interest, endorsement, encouragement and readership, we would have become just a bi-weekly Wyoming Tribune-Eagle.
Publisher/editor note: While I use plural pronouns (because volunteers do assist greatly in facets of distribution, etc.), the Cheyenne Herald is largely a one-man operation. And, I don’t take myself too seriously. What is done on the pages of the Cheyenne Herald could be duplicated by any number of people. Some have tried and failed. Others will try and probably fail. It ain’t hard, but it ain’t easy, either. Many more could do it than will try. I tried. And, nine years and three months later, I’m still here. Thanks for noticing the Cheyenne Herald. Enjoy the hundreds of articles that have appeared in the print version of the Herald and are now available on the Cheyenne Herald website.
(Written April 23, 2011)
Dave Featherly, Publisher and Editor
www.cheyenneherald.com |
