CatchLight, the organization investing in the power of images to inform and connect, has announced a new strategic equipment initiative with Sony Electronics (Sony) that will put powerful professional camera and video tools directly in the hands of local visual journalists. The growing relationship between CatchLight and Sony comes as local newsrooms face limited staffing, shrinking resources, and growing demand for visual reporting. High-quality visual journalism depends on reliable equipment that can capture clear images, video, and audio in the unpredictable conditions local journalists face every day. With Sony and other collaborators, CatchLight is expanding access to the tools and support local newsrooms need to strengthen their visual capacity and tell deeper, more nuanced stories. Through the initiative, Sony will provide 24 professional Alpha camera and video kits to select CatchLight Local member newsrooms, including 16 CatchLight Local Fellows and Report for America Corps Members. Each kit includes professional equipment, including full-frame cameras, telephoto zoom lenses, digital shotgun microphones, and external flash with wireless radio control.
“Access to high-quality camera equipment is one of the greatest barriers to entry for visual journalists who help us better understand the world around us,” Elodie Mailliet, CEO of CatchLight commented “This partnership with Sony helps close that gap by equipping visual journalists with the resources they need to document the people, issues, and events shaping their communities.”
In addition to equipment kits, Sony will also provide access to Sony Pro Support memberships, technical support representatives, and online training sessions that can be accessed through CatchLight’s learning library.
“Sony looks to collaborate with organizations with similar goals and CatchLight’s mission couldn’t be better aligned with our joint purpose to help empower emerging visual journalists,” Theresa Alesso, president, Imaging Products and Solutions Americas, Sony Electronics commented “By providing access to in-demand professional imaging technology, as well as industry connections and placements, we’re proud to help support an initiative that is elevating careers and enhancing storytelling while fulfilling a need in local newsrooms – for the benefit of all.”
CatchLight Local is a collaborative, proven, and scalable model that helps local newsrooms strengthen visual journalism, deepen community trust, and expand representation. The program pairs newsrooms with dedicated fellows who produce in-depth, locally grounded visual reporting, while the CatchLight Local Visual Desk provides shared editorial expertise, production support, and distribution opportunities that individual newsrooms may struggle to sustain on their own.