CatchLight

CatchLight's Local Program works to build a local news ecosystem that is thriving in communities across the US, where everyone sees themselves represented in their local media, and where social cohesion and trust is rebuilt. Our approach to this work is three-pronged: We partner with newsrooms through a collaborative Visual Desk, offering customized visual services, tools, mentorship, and support to strengthen newsrooms capacity to serve as trusted messengers in their communities; We advance trust and representation in local journalism by placing high-quality, community-driven photojournalists in local newsrooms throughout the US; and We convene the public like-minded people across media, academia, technology, and the arts to foster a robust and inclusive community to deepen critical thought, imagine new ways to leverage visuals for connection, and inspire action. In 2024, through the Visual Desk we supported the production of 1,114 local news stories, collectively reaching an audience of more than 546,000 people each month. Our Local Fellows and newsroom partners continued to push the boundaries of visual storytelling, earning nine awards and twelve nominations for their work. We expanded our reach and training efforts through 10 educational workshops attended by over 200 journalists, and through public programs that brought together more than 1,500 people to engage directly with the power of visual journalism.

On April 27, 2024, CatchLight held its 5th annual Visual Storytelling Summit, our signature event connecting artists, innovators, and audiences. Our theme was "Seeing Truths," reflecting the unique power of photography, visual journalism, and creative practices can have to help usher a return to critical thinking. The goal of the Summit is to build an inclusive network, centering CatchLight and our partners as leaders in a relevant, future-facing, diverse, inclusive, and community-building space. As always, the Summit was free and open to the public, inviting audiences of all kinds to connect with a global community of visual storytellers, media, and technology leaders. The event sold out three weeks after the launch and exceeded our targets-and last year's numbers-with 450 registrants and 300 attendees. This year's Summit gathered leaders using photography, art, film, and technology to discuss how the rise of synthetic images undermines our ability to trust what we see and what the role of visual storytellers and journalists is in ushering a return to critical thinking and cooperation.