Michael Indriolo

May 22, 2025

CatchLight, in partnership with Report for America, is proud to announce the selection of 14 photojournalists for the 2025 CatchLight Local Fellowship to join local newsrooms across the United States as full-time employees, beginning in July 2025. The cohort represents the largest group of visual journalists ever recruited by CatchLight and Report for America for full-time staff positions with local news organizations. The partnership previously supported five photojournalists across the state of California.

This initiative reflects CatchLight’s mission to strengthen local news by investing in visual journalism. In addition to placing photographers in local media through the CatchLight Local Fellowship, the CatchLight Local Visual Desk equips host newsrooms with tools and support to produce impactful, community-centered storytelling.

Since the program’s inception in 2019, CatchLight Local Fellows and their newsrooms have produced visual reporting that has informed public policy, advanced civic dialogue, and cultivated trust with local audiences. In 2024, the initiative produced over 300 editorial assignments and won 15 journalism awards, many recognizing innovation and depth of community engagement. Newsrooms also saw notable audience growth, while fellows reported stronger skills, confidence, and connection to their work. The CatchLight Local Visual Desk, which as of July will serve 19 newsrooms nationwide, continues to deliver meaningful impact on editorial, audience, and professional development.

“This marks a significant expansion in CatchLight’s efforts to support local and regional newsrooms that want to engage their audiences with images that truly reflect and represent their daily realities,” said Elodie Mailliet Storm, CEO of CatchLight. “The veracity of public information is being questioned more than ever before. This is why the work of visual journalists, which at its very core is deeply rooted in building trust with communities, is so critical for civic life in the United States.”

“I am beyond excited to expand our partnership with CatchLight from five local news photographers to fourteen,” said Ben Brody, Report for America’s Director of Photography. “This represents a deep investment not just in our partnered newsrooms and early-career photojournalists, but in our local communities who deserve to see themselves represented with fairness, vibrance, and dignity. Audiences consume more photography than ever, and our organizations are finding innovative ways to help photojournalists engage folks where they’re at, with sophisticated, relevant, and above all, honest imagery.”

The incoming CatchLight Local Fellows and their host newsrooms for 2025–2026 are:

Audience Editor (he/him)
Jim is a digital media entrepreneur with a focus on audience engagement and data architecture. He has worked in both nonprofit and for-profit newsrooms.