CatchLight, a nonprofit visual media organization, has announced the creation of a California-based visual news desk aimed at addressing the decline of visual journalism across the United States, advancing visual representation in local media, and serving critical community information needs.

With investment totaling $2 million over three years from the Enlight, Kresge, Knight, and Hearst foundations and in partnership with PhotoWings, the initiative will help fund five to ten Visual Journalism Fellows, a visual editor, and CatchLight's editorial and engagement director. Confirmed newsroom partners include CalMatters, which will distribute CatchLight fellows' images to news organizations statewide. Other partners include Report for America, which will cover a portion of the stipends and the cost of training for the fellows, who will also serve as Report for America Corps members and receive full program benefits; and Fujifilm, which will provide sponsorship and photographic equipment.

According to CatchLight, the number of visual journalists across the country has declined more than 50 percent over the past decade. California has seen the largest disappearance of newsrooms, with more than 24 percent of news outlets closing between 2004 and 2019.

"News deserts have given way to image deserts, resulting in communities not seeing themselves accurately represented in traditional media, further eroding trust in vital sources of information," said CatchLight CEO Elodie Mailliet Storm. "But building new collaborative models for visual journalism that are community-centered can help solve this problem."

(Photo credit: CatchLight / Yesica Prado)