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CatchLight
hi@catchlight.io
Our Mission CatchLight is a visual-first media organization that leverages the power of visual storytelling to inform, connect, and transform communities. ••• THE POWER OF VISUALS A lone protester stands in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square. A shell-shocked Syrian toddler sits in the back of an ambulance. Another child cries out as border patrol pats down her mother at the US-Mexico border. These images tell the story of a moment, but, more importantly, they make a distant or abstract issue immediate and concrete. They focus public attention on key issues, give momentum to social movements, and become a rallying call and powerful tool for policy change. In an age when pictures have become our everyday vocabulary, the most talented visual storytellers bring a context and experience that enriches images with subtle layers of meaning, reaching deep into our consciousness. These images connect us emotionally and powerfully to others. They have the capacity to change narratives and influence policies. CatchLight invests in the power of visual storytelling to inform, connect, and transform communities. While visuals are critical tools for journalism, doubling the engagement rates of media content (Journalism, Media and Technology Trends and Predictions 2019, Reuters), they are also the most underinvested part of newsrooms. Between 1999 and 2015, 53% of visual journalist positions were cut — more than any other part of newsrooms (ibid). Today, only a few select large newsrooms, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and National Geographic, can invest in powerful and engaging visual journalism. Visual strategy has been at the center of their accessibility, reach, and success. THE NEED Visual storytellers have a vital role in keeping people informed, promoting community awareness, encouraging civic engagement, and leading change as visionaries. We are at a pivotal moment in a rapidly changing visual storytelling landscape with the rise of social media, AI-generated images, citizen journalism, and the decline of traditional news outlets (more than 20 percent of Americans now live in areas that have little or no independent news sources on local issues). These factors have created challenges for visual storytellers in sustaining their livelihoods. As such, our communities are at risk of losing rich and diverse photographic representations in both media and art.
