Wyoming prides itself on having one of the last remaining citizen legislatures in the U.S. — an assembly of work-a-day citizens, instead of full-time politicians, convening in Cheyenne each winter to do the people’s business.
In its ideal form the model is a paragon of community self-determination — the government closest to the governed, governing best.
But there’s a catch. It only works if those governed have access to the process, and to the information they need to participate. That’s not a given these days.
That’s where WyoFile comes in. Thanks to the support of more than 2,000 contributing members, when the 2024 legislative session kicks off on Monday, Wyoming will have more coverage of the goings on in Cheyenne than it has seen in ages.
We’re sending three reporters — staffers Maggie Mullen and Mike Koshmrl along with special legislative correspondent Maya Shimizu Harris — to the Capitol for the duration. They’ll work closely with editors Joshua Wolfson, Tennessee Watson and myself, as well as our new engagement editor Anna Rader. Together, we’ll bring you not only up-to-the-minute information about legislation, but also in-depth stories about the human stakes and windows into all the behind-the-scenes sausage making. Angus Thuermer, Katie Klingsporn, Dustin Bleizeffer and Madelyn Beck will bolster the effort with regular dispatches on legislation affecting natural resources, wildlife, outdoor recreation, the energy industry, health policy, criminal justice and more.
All told, we’re bringing more professional journalists to bear on the Legislature than any news outlet since then-Gov. Dave Freudenthal was in office — maybe longer.
We’ve chosen to make this significant investment because, despite our state’s myriad challenges, we have faith that a well-informed Wyoming will chart the best course forward. We believe that inserting the facts into the collective conversation, providing actionable information about close-to-home issues, reflecting the actual complexity of the community’s challenges and offering diverse perspectives, can displace the divisive and oversimplified us-vs-them, with-us-or-against-us sloganeering that has come to define way too much of our civic life.
We’ve chosen to make this significant investment because, despite our state’s myriad challenges, we have faith that a well-informed Wyoming will chart the best course forward.
Whether you’re a Republican focused on government transparency, a Democrat obsessed with politics, an independent with a passion for wildlife or none of the above, WyoFile’s pledge to you remains the same: We’re committed to providing the information you need to keep track of, and weigh in on, the issues that matter to you.
Reports will be coming fast, frequently and in multiple forms, so if you haven’t already, be sure to follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn) and download the WyoFile app for Android or Apple IOS to ensure you don’t miss a story. If you’re a podcast listener, subscribe to the Cheyenne Roundup — a weekly overview of the session we co-host with Wyoming Public Media.
As always, please let us know what you think and how we can better meet your needs. Until then, thank you for making this critical work possible.
This is a really big deal. It’s been my experience that bad laws grow best in a dark place. Thanks for bringing the light. We haven’t had this kind of serious journalism in a long time.
Rational thinking folks consider “serious journalism” as a necessity. Gullible and low information folks consider “serious journalism” as fake news.
GIGO
Thanks for the coverage of the legislature. We definitely need it but not sure if the people that really need to know it read your file. Have to try though. thanks for what you do.