CatchLight Local Visual Desk
Boost your newsroom’s visual power and engage audiences where they are.
The Local Visual Desk is a collaborative, shared-services model that provides local newsrooms with the training, tools and resources they need to tell engaging, authentic stories with strong, ethical visuals. The cost of Local Visual Desk services for newsroom members is subsidized by 75% through generous support from our philanthropic partners.
Since 2019, CatchLight Local has served 37 newsrooms across the country. We’ve run more than 50 workshops and trainings, supported 33 Local Fellows, and our editors have provided support on more than 1,200 visually-focused assignments. Those quality visuals also garner awards — between 2022 and June 2026, our member newsrooms have won over 60 awards for their visual storytelling work through the CatchLight Local Visual Desk.
In addition, on average, the typical CatchLight Local Visual Desk newsroom has grown Instagram followers by +51% and Facebook followers by +49% — essentially doubling their social presence on both platforms. At the same time, they’ve seen a 103% increase in web pageviews. These gains support the broader story that visual storytelling and audience development efforts are translating into real social audience growth across markets of all sizes. (Data reflects July 2025-March 2026)
Member Newsrooms
Current Members
Past Members
2019, 2022, 2023
2022-2025
2022-2025
2020
2023-2024
2019
2023 · 2024
2025-2026
2022-2023
2020
2025-2026
2019
2023
2023
* Host newsroom for a CatchLight/RFA visual journalism fellow
Services
As a member of the CatchLight Local Visual Desk, your organization receives services to support the goal of carrying out excellent visual journalism that transforms the local landscape by building trust and visual representation through more inclusive, community-based visual reporting practices.
Partner with us for:
Production & Capacity
Editing, coaching and strategic support from experienced CatchLight editors, with support for daily work and deeper help for special projects.
Tools & Workflows
Digital Asset Management via CatchLight’s DAM system, Mediagraph, plus guidance and templates for visual workflows and production efficiency.
Engagement Support
Social media consulting, plus collaborative publishing and community exhibition support that extend the reach of your work.
Membership plans
Core
$1,000/month
For newsrooms that want to build a foundation for visual excellence.
What it includes:
- Access to our Visual Toolkit
- Weekly editing hours
- Monthly workshops
- DAM system to organize and archive images
- Editorial support for one major project annually
- InsightFlow Analytics dashboard to track performance of all your content, across all your platforms
- Consulting time with our social media specialist
Premium
$2,000/month
For newsrooms looking to accelerate their visual strategies.
What it includes:
Everything in Core, plus…
- Weekly one-on-one meetings with a visual editor
- Help with photo selection, captions, workflow questions
- Starter stock image package
- Enhanced access to our social media specialists.