CatchLight, in partnership with the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), is excited to announce the launch of the CatchLight Local Chicago Initiative — bringing Chicago-based news organizations, local visual journalists, and community members together to harness the power of visuals to better understand the long-term impact of COVID-19 on social equity in local communities.
The CatchLight Local Visual Storytelling Initiative is a place-based program that connects powerful visual journalism directly with local newsrooms and community members to establish vital common ground for diverse insights and possible solutions to critical issues.
Chicago is the second location for the CatchLight Local Visual Storytelling Initiative, which launched in 2019 in the Bay Area. The program aims to reseed visual journalism at the local level. For more information on past CatchLight Local Fellows visit: catchlight.io/local.
For nearly a decade, we have witnessed how the collapse of trustworthy, local journalism has been a detriment to our democracy and our society. What is less often recognized is the even more pronounced decline of photojournalism. According to ASNE Census data, visual departments got hit harder than any other part of local and national newsrooms. Visual journalists declined by 52% compared to 40% declines for overall newsroom teams in the last 20 years.
“Images have the power to connect audiences directly to issues, creating a common ground for dialogue. When images are created by local visual journalists, they allow communities to see themselves represented at a more nuanced and deeper level, promoting community and civic engagement,” said Elodie Mailliet Storm, CEO, CatchLight.
CatchLight Local Chicago will focus on harnessing the power of visuals to better understand how the unprecedented COVID-19 health crisis has exacerbated existing inequality in Chicago, as well as looking at the long-term impact on vulnerable communities and what local solutions may emerge.
Starting in September 2020 CatchLight Local will launch a virtual “visual desk” to serve INN members and CatchLight Local Chicago partners, including one visual editor and up to four visual journalists. Through this collaborative effort, fellows will be supported in creative direction, visual editing, and community engagement. Editorial oversight of the “visual desk” will be provided by Catchlight, INN and an editorial steering committee of local newsroom partners comprising the Better Government Association, Block Club Chicago, Borderless Magazine, and ProPublica Illinois.
“When INN surveyed its members last fall about what resources would help them improve their coverage, photography surfaced as their most critical need. We’re excited to work with CatchLight to bring a visual desk to Chicago, and look forward to the impactful work that will be done as a result of the project,” said Jonathan Kealing, Chief Network Officer at INN.
Thanks to the support of the McCormick Foundation and the Kresge Foundation, CatchLight and INN are working to reseed visual storytelling at the local level in Chicago, allowing communities to see themselves represented in a more accurate and nuanced way, and improving civic engagement.
About CatchLight
CatchLight is a San Francisco Bay Area-based nonprofit that believes in the power of visual storytelling to foster a more nuanced and empathetic understanding of the world. CatchLight serves as a transformational force, urgently bringing resources and organizations together to support leaders in a thriving visual ecosystem. Our goal is to discover, develop and amplify visual storytellers. www.catchlight.io
About the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN)
INN strengthens and supports more than 250 independent news organizations in a new kind of media network: nonprofit, nonpartisan and dedicated to public service. The INN community shares best practices, collaborates on stories, pools resources and receives cutting-edge training in professional, organizational and business development. See: inn.org
About the Editorial Steering Committee:
Better Government AssociationThe Better Government Association is a non-partisan, nonprofit news organization working for transparency, efficiency and accountability in government in Chicago and across Illinois
Block Club Chicago
Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.
Borderless Magazine
Borderless Magazine NFP is a nonprofit news outlet that is reimagining immigration journalism for a more just and equitable future. We humanize stories of immigration by shining light on the diversity, resilience and resistance of people impacted by immigration policies today.
ProPublica Illinois
ProPublica Illinois is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism with moral force. Headquartered in Chicago, we are the first regional publishing operation of ProPublica, dedicated to stories about big issues that affect people living and working in the state of Illinois.