So, What Did You Do in 2020? I Sure Had an Interesting Year

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the presidential election, when I look back at 2020, the digital news site called Cowboy State Daily, of which I am the publisher, dominates my memories of the past 12 months.

I would encourage all of the readers of this column to give yourself a holiday treat – sign up for the Cowboy State Daily morning newsletter. It’s free. It certainly is not a competition to the high-quality local newspaper you are reading right now. Wyoming has the best newspapers in the country and the one you are reading right now is among the best. 

Go to www.cowboystatedaily.com and sign up for the free daily newsletter. You will not regret it.

What a year 2020 has been!  As a new company, Cowboy State Daily faced the dual calamities of the COVID-19 pandemic and the decline in the state’s fossil fuel economy.  It has been a devastating disaster. And yet in the face of this, we have continued to grow.

In my opinion, nobody covered the COVID-19 story better than we did. We published over 800 news stories about the issue. Every day, a comprehensive map showing all the counties with all the cases was featured.

This two-year-old daily digital statewide news service contains a web site featuring constantly updated Wyoming news and an email newsletter called “coffee break,” which comes out five mornings a week.

We have been growing fast all year – averaging 1,000 new subscribers to our newsletter each month.  We encourage people who subscribe to reach out to their friends and get them to subscribe, too.

The site is like a lot of modern news entities – it is a non-profit and donations to it are tax-deductible.

The key to the success has been our small but very experienced staff.  Besides my 50 years of Wyoming journalism experience, serving as the Cowboy State Daily publisher, we also have all-stars like Jimmy Orr, Jim Angell, and Ellen Fike as core staff.

Orr and Annaliese Wiederspahn founded Cowboy State Daily in January 2019. Originally from Cheyenne, Orr was the Managing Editor for both the Los Angeles Times and the Christian Science Monitor. He also served as a spokesman and digital director for the White House under President George W. Bush and for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In Wyoming politics, he worked for U.S. Senators Al Simpson, Malcolm Wallop, and Gov. Jim Geringer.

Angell is a former Associated Press Cheyenne office chief and was executive director of the Wyoming Press Association for 20 years. He and his wife Mary also operate the Wyoming News Exchange.  Fike is a long-time Wyoming journalist and is a former features editor of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

The Cowboy State Daily site also features a slew of wonderful columnists including Dave Simpson and Jonathan Lange, plus occasional columns by Rusty Rogers, Foster Friess, Ray Hunkins, and others. 

To many readers, the highlight of the daily news is the insightful report by Wyoming’s best weatherman Don Day. He presents an amazing report that talks about upcoming weather events.

Since it is a non-profit, December is a big month for donations and readers have been really coming through. And they are saying great things. For example:

Joe Glode in Saratoga says: “I sure like your daily news feed. It sure beats Cable!”

Judy in Buffalo says: “I sure enjoy the Cowboy State Daily. I look forward to it every day.”

Dan T. of Centennial says: “Your updates on the Mullen Fire have been particularly important since I was one of the people who got evacuation notices. Thank God for the snow. Keep up the good work and I plan to donate annually.”

Mary Paxson made a nice donation and said: “I love the Cowboy State Daily. I love writing especially. I think you are the last stand of journalism in Wyoming! I do enjoy the news along with the humor of the delivery.”

Janice S. of Jackson heaped a bunch of praise on Cowboy State Daily. Part of what she said was: “I have enjoyed the daily briefings of happenings around the state, which helps me feel more connected with the goings-on in Wyoming. I am a Wyoming local and have lived in several Wyoming towns.  I also enjoy the bit of humor and lightheartedness that each report brings. I‘ve recommended that friends and family sign up to receive the Cowboy State Daily!” These are just five of so many wonderful comments and notes received. Our motto: Don’t Just Watch Us Grow – Join Us!”