By Jimmy Orr, editor
A Wyoming businessman and philanthropist has purchased the assets of Cowboy State Daily, a Wyoming-based digital news operation based in Cheyenne.
B. Wayne Hughes, Jr., founder of the Hughes Charitable Foundation, purchased the digital news site effective Feb. 1, 2022.
Hughes said he purchased the news organization because of its reputation for presenting the news fairly and “straight down the middle.”
“In a sea of misinformation and disinformation, Cowboy State Daily is a bright, shining beacon of truth — not to mention optimism and fair-mindedness,” Hughes said. “In a time where information is dispersed so quickly, there’s not a lot of time — in many cases — to check to see if that information is accurate, but Cowboy State Daily takes that time.
“Cowboy State Daily represents a state and its unique culture that is still in touch with who it is, and that is very attractive to me,” he continued.
The news organization, which was founded in January, 2019, is staffed by a number of longtime Wyoming journalists including Jimmy Orr, Jim Angell, Leo Wolfson, Ellen Fike, Matt Idler, and Don Day in Cheyenne, Clair McFarland in Riverton, Bill Sniffin in Lander, Jen Kocher in Gillette, and Wendy Corr in Cody. Coy Knobel and Ike Fredregill also work as remote correspondents.
Wyoming columnists include: Dave Walsh, Rod Miller, Cat Urbigkit, Dave Simpson, and Aaron Turpen.
Hughes said Cowboy State Daily will continue to be based in Cheyenne and added he was looking forward to bolstering the operation with new staff.
He said the first hires will be a full-time political reporter and a full time reporter covering the energy industry.
“We will announce additional hires down the road,” he said. “Know this, I am committed to investing the resources it takes to build Wyoming’s most trusted and robust news organization. Our state deserves it.”
Hughes is a full time resident of Wyoming where he resides in Jackson. Besides the Hughes Charitable Foundation, Hughes owns a number of businesses in Wyoming including the Esponda cattle ranch near Buffalo.
Cowboy State Daily was founded in 2019 by Annaliese Wiederspahn and Jimmy Orr.
