Reporter Newspapers
Reporter Newspapers, operating as Rough Draft Atlanta, is a privately-held hyperlocal news publisher founded in 2009 that delivers digital, print, newsletter, and events coverage to metro Atlanta residents across DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties, including the Georgia Voice LGBTQ+ sub-brand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersGaussan, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Reporter Newspapers does
Reporter Newspapers, operating commercially as Rough Draft Atlanta, is a privately-held hyperlocal news publisher founded in 2009 and headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia. The company produces multi-platform local journalism across DeKalb County (Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Tucker), Fulton County (Buckhead, Intown Atlanta, Sandy Springs), and Gwinnett County (Norcross), covering neighborhood news, dining, arts, real estate, politics, and civic affairs. It also retains the Georgia Voice sub-brand, an LGBTQ+-focused publication serving Georgia.
The company's core product is the Rough Draft Atlanta website, built on Newspack (Automattic's WordPress-based publishing platform), supplemented by print editions distributed via Issuu, a multi-title newsletter suite delivered through Mailchimp and Substack, and a community events platform with submission and paid promotion tools. Revenue is generated through a mix of local SMB advertising (display and event promotion), paid reader memberships, branded content partnerships (e.g., Dinner Club), and ancillary commerce integrations. Distribution is anchored on owned digital channels plus active social profiles across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and Bluesky.
The business model is a classic community journalism stack adapted to digital: high editorial output into a defined geographic footprint, monetized through fragmented local advertising and a growing reader-funded membership tier. The company does not disclose revenue, headcount leadership, or ownership; no institutional funding rounds are recorded. Its strategic direction in recent periods emphasizes vertical depth (Georgia Voice, Jewish Community News), geographic incremental expansion (Gwinnett), and recurring-revenue product extensions (newsletters, events, membership) rather than platform or technology differentiation.
Reporter Newspapers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Reporter Newspapers
- Legal name
- Reporter Newspapers
- Website
- https://reporternewspapers.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Reporter Newspapers, operating as Rough Draft Atlanta, is a privately-held hyperlocal news publisher founded in 2009 that delivers digital, print, newsletter, and events coverage to metro Atlanta residents across DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties, including the Georgia Voice LGBTQ+ sub-brand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Reporter Newspapers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local News Media
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG), Newsstand & Single-Copy Distribution (MPAJAKAC)
Keywords
Where Reporter Newspapers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gaussan
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Reporter Newspapers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Reporter Newspapers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Reporter Newspapers publishes hyperlocal news coverage of metro Atlanta communities through its primary Rough Draft Atlanta digital brand and the Georgia Voice LGBTQ+ sub-brand. It sells access to this journalism via a reader-supported membership program, display and event advertising, branded content partnerships, and monthly print editions. Distribution spans the Rough Draft Atlanta website, email newsletters, social media, and print.
Product overview
Reporter Newspapers operates as a multi-platform local news organization with Rough Draft Atlanta as its primary hyperlocal news website covering metro Atlanta communities. The portfolio includes Georgia Voice as an LGBTQ+-focused sub-brand, supplemented by topic-specific newsletter products (Family Meal, Silver Streak, Daily Newsletter), dining guides, an events platform, and membership/subscription programs. Print editions are distributed via Issuu, with newsletters delivered through Mailchimp.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Georgia Voice: LGBTQ+ news publication covering Georgia.
Products and services
- Rough Draft Atlanta Hyperlocal digital news platform providing comprehensive coverage of metro Atlanta communities across DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties, with sections for news, dining, arts, politics, real estate, sustainability, and events. Targeted at metro Atlanta residents.
- Georgia Voice LGBTQ+-focused news publication covering equality, politics, travel, and community news for Georgia readers, available both online and in print.
- Rough Draft Atlanta Email Newsletters Email newsletter products including Family Meal (dining-focused), Silver Streak, Daily Newsletter, and various topic-specific newsletters delivering curated local content directly to subscribers' inboxes.
- Events Platform Event calendar and submission system enabling users to browse, submit, and advertise community events across metro Atlanta.
- Print Editions Physical newspaper editions published by Reporter Newspapers and distributed throughout metro Atlanta communities, with digital versions available via Issuu.
Companies that use Reporter Newspapers
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Reporter Newspapers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Reporter Newspapers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Reporter Newspapers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SaportaReport: SaportaReport is an Atlanta-focused civic and local news outlet covering politics, neighborhoods, and community issues. Comparable in editorial focus and reliance on digital advertising and reader support in the same metro Atlanta market.
- Patch.com: Patch operates a national network of hyperlocal news sites including multiple Atlanta-area editions. Directly comparable business model targeting neighborhood-level news, local advertising, and event listings in the same Atlanta communities.
- Axios Atlanta: Axios Atlanta is a digital-first local news outlet covering metro Atlanta with a newsletter-heavy model. Directly comparable as a hyperlocal Atlanta news competitor pursuing similar digital advertising and subscriber audiences.
- Decaturish: Decaturish is a hyperlocal digital news site focused on DeKalb County and nearby Atlanta neighborhoods. Closely comparable in mission, scale, and digital/membership business model, covering overlapping communities such as Brookhaven, Tucker, and Dunwoody.
- The Current (formerly Atlanta Intown): The Current is a hyperlocal print and digital newspaper covering Intown Atlanta neighborhoods such as Midtown, Virginia-Highland, and Old Fourth Ward. Direct competitor in the same neighborhood-level news niche with overlapping advertising clients.
Others
- Newspack (Automattic): Newspack is the WordPress-based publishing platform Reporter Newspapers/Rough Draft Atlanta uses. Relevant as the underlying technology provider enabling the company's digital publishing operations and as an ecosystem of similarly positioned local news startups.
Emerging players
- Word In Black: Word In Black is a collaborative of Black news publishers covering local Black communities nationwide. Conceptually comparable to Georgia Voice as a niche community-audience vertical news product within Rough Draft's portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Atlanta Business Chronicle: Atlanta Business Chronicle is the leading regional business news publication covering metro Atlanta. Overlaps with Rough Draft's business and real estate coverage, and competes for the same local advertising budgets from Atlanta-based businesses.
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC): The AJC is the dominant legacy metro Atlanta newspaper with broad regional coverage and a digital paywall. Competes for the same advertisers and readers in the Atlanta DMA, but at a much larger scale and broader geographic scope.
- Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB News): GPB News is Georgia's statewide public radio and digital news organization covering politics, education, and community issues statewide. Overlaps with Rough Draft's political and civic coverage in the Atlanta region.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Reporter Newspapers social profiles
Digital presenceReporter Newspapers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Reporter Newspapers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Reporter Newspapers subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Reporter Newspapers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Reporter Newspapers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Reporter Newspapers
What does Reporter Newspapers do?
Reporter Newspapers publishes hyperlocal news coverage of metro Atlanta communities through its primary Rough Draft Atlanta digital brand and the Georgia Voice LGBTQ+ sub-brand. It sells access to this journalism via a reader-supported membership program, display and event advertising, branded content partnerships, and monthly print editions. Distribution spans the Rough Draft Atlanta website, email newsletters, social media, and print.
Is Reporter Newspapers a public or private company?
Reporter Newspapers is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Reporter Newspapers founded?
Reporter Newspapers was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Reporter Newspapers based?
Reporter Newspapers is headquartered in Gaussan, France, in the Europe region.
Who are Reporter Newspapers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SaportaReport, Patch.com, Axios Atlanta, Decaturish and The Current (formerly Atlanta Intown). Newspack (Automattic) is listed as an others. Word In Black is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB News).
Does Reporter Newspapers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Reporter Newspapers.
What industry is Reporter Newspapers in?
Reporter Newspapers's product category is Local News Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital), with a secondary code of MPAJADAG, Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.