What National Journal Group does

National Journal Group is a private Washington, D.C.-based research and information services company, founded in 1969, that helps organizations navigate federal policy and politics. Operating from its headquarters at 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW in the Watergate building, the company employs 251-500 staff and serves over 1,000 government and business leaders through two principal business divisions: National Journal Membership (NJM), which delivers journalism, tools, and content to enterprise government affairs teams, and National Journal Research (NJR), which provides custom research, stakeholder mapping, benchmarking, and deep-dive profiling. A wholly-owned subsidiary, Gravity Research, operates as a separate portfolio company focused on research and insights.

The company's core platform combines editorial journalism products (National Journal Daily, The Hotline, the Sunday Nightcap newsletter, and the National Journal Radio podcast), the Presentation Center content library of more than 250 new copyright-free slides added weekly, the Almanac+ people intelligence database covering federal, state, and local policymakers, and data tools such as Race Tracker for campaign polling and finance data. Notable technical capabilities include The Listening Station, an AI-driven platform launched in 2024 that monitors nontraditional media to track how alternative narratives shape policy and regulatory momentum. The company maintains a long-standing editorial partnership with The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, which extends its election analysis capabilities.

The business model centers on tiered annual membership subscriptions sold through an enterprise field sales motion with dedicated advisors per account, supplemented by custom professional services from NJR, on-demand Presentation Center Concierge content generation, and individual subscriptions to products like NJ Hotline and PolicyView research reports. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The customer base spans Fortune 500 enterprise logos including Volkswagen, McKinsey & Company, FedEx, Shell, Amazon, Northrop Grumman, Capital One, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and American Express, with primary segments being government affairs teams, lobbying and public affairs firms, government contractors, and Beltway-focused organizations.

Name

National Journal Group

Legal name

National Journal Group LLC

Website

https://nationaljournal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

National Journal Group is a private Washington, D.C.-based research and information services firm that provides government affairs teams, lobbying firms, and Fortune 500 corporations with policy journalism, people intelligence databases, AI-driven media monitoring, and custom research through tiered memberships and professional services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Intelligence Services

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI), News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

Keywords

• Political intelligence
• Policy research
• Government affairs
• Custom research services
• Media monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Tiered membership packages providing access to journalism, Presentation Center, custom content, exclusive events, tools, and research. Government affairs teams receive resources based on membership level. Over 1,000 government and business leaders are served through this model.
2. National Journal Research (NJR) Custom Research: Custom research products including stakeholder mapping, strategic planning, deep-dive profiles, corporate social responsibility benchmarking, and PAC vetting services sold outside of standard membership
3. Presentation Center Concierge: On-demand custom content generation from analysts producing slide decks, newsletters, one-pagers, and collateral in client branding for larger organizational moments
4. PolicyView Research Reports: Research reports delivered via email to subscribers who license access. Billed annually with automatic renewal. Intended for individuals with registered emails connected to active subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

National Journal Group delivers nonpartisan political and policy intelligence to government affairs professionals through a membership-based platform combining journalism (National Journal Daily, The Hotline, National Journal Radio), AI-driven media monitoring (Listening Station), a presentation content library (Presentation Center), and a policymaker intelligence database (Almanac+). The firm also provides custom research, stakeholder mapping, PAC support, and bespoke content generation through its National Journal Research division and Presentation Center Concierge service.

Product overview

National Journal Group is a premier research and insights company serving government affairs professionals with a comprehensive platform-plus-modules architecture. The core membership platform includes award-winning journalism products (National Journal Daily, The Hotline, NJ Radio podcast), the Presentation Center content library with over 250 weekly-updated slides, and the Almanac+ people intelligence database. Additional modules include the Presentation Center Concierge for custom content creation, Interactive Mapping for data visualization, PAC Manager Toolbox, and Vignette for deep-dive profiles. The product suite is designed to help organizations navigate Washington policy and politics through content, intelligence, and strategic support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter: Partnership brand providing non-partisan analysis of congressional and presidential elections, featuring Charlie Cook and Amy Walter.
• Gravity Research
• National Journal Research

Products and services

• National Journal Membership Tiered membership subscription bundling National Journal journalism, the Presentation Center content library, custom content, exclusive events, and research tools for enterprise government affairs professionals.
• National Journal Daily Daily news publication covering Capitol Hill activity, available in print, online, and via email newsletter, primarily for government affairs professionals.
• The Hotline Insider's source for campaign and election information covering Senate, House, and gubernatorial races with polling data and election analysis; available as an individual subscription.
• Presentation Center Library of copyright-free PowerPoint slides, decks, and infographics aggregating and visualizing complex policy and political information; over 250 new slides added weekly across verticals including Energy, Health Care, Finance, Tax/Economy/Labor, Technology, and Cybersecurity & Defense.
• Almanac+ Comprehensive database providing in-depth biographical and background profiles of elected officials, Members of Congress, governors, federal agency staff, Cabinet members, and White House staff, with downloadable contact information.
• Daybook Online calendar of important events on and around Capitol Hill with customizable email alerts and direct export to personal calendars for government affairs teams.
• Race Tracker Campaign polling and finance data tool providing current and historical insights and visualizations for national, congressional, and gubernatorial races.
• Presentation Center Concierge On-demand custom content generation service in which National Journal analysts produce tailored slide decks, newsletters, one-pagers, and collateral in the client's branding for larger organizational moments.
• National Journal Radio Weekly podcast providing deep dives into the most important policy, political, and campaign stories of the week, distributed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• The Listening Station (Tracking the MAHA Movement) AI-driven intelligence platform combined with expert analysis that monitors nontraditional media to track how alternative narratives shape policy and regulatory momentum, with a flagship application tracking the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement.
• PolicyView Research Reports Subscription research reports delivered via email covering policy developments and analysis on specific topics, billed annually with automatic renewal.
• Network Science Initiative Custom research service conducting deep research on people and organizations, mapping connections among them, and identifying pathways for exerting influence and advancing development efforts.
• Vignette Database and people research service providing thousands of in-depth downloadable profiles on policymakers and influencers at federal, state, and local levels, produced by National Journal Research.
• Best Practice Insights (Washington in the Information Age Report) Research report analyzing media consumption habits of Washington insiders including policymakers on Capitol Hill, in federal agencies, and the private sector, helping clients build effective communications strategies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 government and business leaders served with intelligence and connections
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Cook Political Report with Amy WaltercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021National Journal maintains a strong editorial connection with The Cook Political Report (CPR). Charlie Cook publishes a weekly column and hosts a biweekly virtual series for National Journal. Amy Walter previously served as Hotline editor from 2007-2010. CPR analysis is featured in NJ's Presentation Center, providing topline summaries alongside NJ's presentations, custom content, and data visualization. Both organizations share values of nonpartisan journalism without 'hot take' commentary.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Politico: Politico is the leading political and policy journalism outlet covering Washington, serving government affairs professionals, lobbyists, and policy insiders — directly competing with National Journal's core journalism, policy intelligence, and playbooks offering.
• Axios: Axios provides smart-brevity political and policy journalism plus Axios Pro subscription verticals (Policy, Pro Rata, etc.) serving corporate government-affairs buyers — a directly comparable subscription-journalism + policy intelligence business model.
• Bloomberg Government: Bloomberg Government sells data, analytics, and intelligence on federal policy, contracting, and legislation to government affairs and contracting professionals — overlapping significantly with National Journal's enterprise policy intelligence products.
• Punchbowl News: Punchbowl News offers insider congressional and political news plus paid subscriptions targeted at government affairs professionals, lobbyists, and Washington insiders — competing head-on with National Journal Daily and The Hotline.
• CQ Roll Call: CQ Roll Call provides congressional news, policy analysis, and member services for government affairs professionals and Capitol Hill staff — overlapping with National Journal's journalism, policy tracking, and event offerings.
• The Hill: The Hill covers politics, policy, and congressional activity and hosts events (e.g., Future of Healthcare Summit) for Washington insiders — comparable coverage and audience to National Journal's daily journalism products.
• POLITICO Influence: POLITICO Influence is Politico's dedicated subscription product for lobbyists and government affairs professionals, providing legislative tracking and influencer intelligence — directly comparable to National Journal Membership and NJR.

Emerging players

• Inside Washington Publishers: Inside Washington Publishers produces specialized subscription newsletters on federal regulatory and policy topics (e.g., environment, defense, telecom) — a niche, vertical-deep competitor for parts of National Journal's premium verticals.
• FiscalNote: FiscalNote provides policy and regulatory intelligence, tracking, and AI-driven analytics to enterprises and government affairs teams — a technology-led, comparable policy intelligence platform with overlapping buyer personas.

Broad incumbents

• Government Executive Media Group: Government Executive and its sister brands (e.g., Defense One, Route Fifty) cover federal policy and management for government leaders and contractors — broader in scope but overlaps with National Journal's government-affairs and contractor intelligence base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nationaljournal
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalJournal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/9313

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Journal Group