Freelance Reporter, DeKalb County, GA

Date Posted	September 15, 2025
Industry	Digital Media
Specialty	Local News
Required Education	Bachelor's Degree
Telecommute?	Hybrid
Job Status	Freelance
Salary	Negotiable

Description:

Rough Draft Atlanta is seeking a freelance reporter to cover Tucker, GA and adjacent communities, including city government, crime, business news, arts, lifestyle, and community events. The reporter will be expected to file between three and four stories per week on a variety of topics. 

We are seeking a reporter who can cover breaking news, uncover and report on human interest stories, keep readers informed about community and governmental activities, and maintain ongoing engagement with Tucker residents, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government officials to produce impactful and meaningful stories for the community. These stories will appear in print, online, and in email newsletters.

Please send a resume, cover letter, and three to four clips and/or a link to recent examples of your reporting to careers@roughdraftatlanta.com. 

This is a freelance position that will be paid at a competitive per-story rate.

Responsibilities

• Cover Tucker City Council meetings, first and third Mondays at 7 p.m.

• Cover once-monthly meetings of the Downtown Development Authority and Planning Commission, as needed, typically on Tuesday or Thursday nights

• Write about annual/ongoing events (i.e. Taste of Tucker, July 3 celebration, Tucker Days, Tucker Town Green events, art shows, Main Street Theatre)

• Develop stories for the weekly Tucker newsletter, published Fridays at 2 p.m.

• Establish connections with Northlake-Tucker CID and Summit CID for stories of interest about development, etc.

• Cover Tucker Police Precinct virtual meetings, second Tuesday of the month

• Write stories about Tucker-area public and private schools, as needed

• Write enterprise stories on Tucker businesses

• Cover Tucker elections

• Attend weekly staff editorial meetings and regular assignment meetings with your editor

Job Requirements

• At least one year of reporting experience, preferably covering a beat. College newspaper experience will be considered.