Is Cowboy State Daily Original Reporting, and Who Writes It?

Yes. Cowboy State Daily describes itself as producing "original reporting" and "fearless journalism," and its homepage backs that up with named bylines on individual stories rather than anonymous or wire-style copy. The site positions itself as "Wyoming's most trusted, comprehensive news source from the state's most experienced journalists." If you want to judge credibility for yourself, the practical check is to open a few articles and confirm each carries a reporter's name and a dateline — which the homepage stories do.

What the site says about its reporting

The publication's own description makes three claims worth separating:

• Original reporting — stories are presented as the outlet's own work, not aggregated from other sources.
• Experienced journalists — the staff is framed as long-tenured Wyoming reporters.
• Comprehensive state coverage — the scope is Wyoming news broadly, not a single beat.

These are self-descriptions, so treat them as the outlet's stated position rather than an independent audit. The bylines are the part you can verify directly.

Who writes the stories

Homepage articles carry individual reporter credits alongside publication dates. Examples visible on the site include:

Two patterns stand out. First, reporters recur across unrelated topics — McFarland covers both tax policy and election law — which is typical of a small-state newsroom where staff generalists cover a wide beat. Second, some stories carry joint bylines (Fedore and Johnson), indicating collaborative reporting rather than single-source rewrites.

How to assess credibility yourself

Because "most trusted" is a marketing claim, use these checks instead of taking it at face value:

1. Look for a byline and date on every article. A named reporter plus a specific date is the baseline signal of original work. Anonymous or undated posts are the ones to scrutinize.
2. Check whether the story quotes named sources. The homepage excerpts include direct quotes attributed to specific people — a building owner, a Cheyenne shopper, a defendant in trial testimony. Attributable quotes suggest firsthand reporting.
3. Cross-reference a claim with a primary source. For a story like the election-monitor piece, the underlying document would be a statement from the Wyoming Attorney General's office. If the article links to or names that source, the reporting is traceable.
4. Note the section. The site organizes content under News, Headlines, Daily Features, Sponsored, and Opinion. Sponsored and Opinion pieces are not straight news, so weigh them differently when judging the outlet's reporting.

What this means for you

If your question is whether Cowboy State Daily is a legitimate original-news operation rather than a content aggregator, the visible evidence — named reporters, dated stories, direct quotes, and multi-reporter bylines — supports that conclusion. If you need to rely on a specific article, verify that particular piece's sourcing rather than the outlet's overall reputation, since quality can vary by story and by section.