Visual journalist and editor based in Chicago, Ill.
Michelle Kanaar (she/her) is a visual editor at CatchLight Local. She has over 15 years of experience as a visual journalist, editor and newsroom leader and is committed to equity within the journalism industry.
Michelle is a co-founder of the Prism Photo Workshop, which provides free education and resources to photojournalists from diverse backgrounds. She also co-founded Borderless Magazine, an award-winning nonprofit news outlet that is reimagining immigration journalism, where she led visuals and partnerships. She has taught visual journalism for over a decade at various institutions, including the University of Missouri and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
Michelle is the daughter of immigrants from Colombia and the Netherlands. She grew up speaking Spanish and English and studied Arabic and Middle Eastern studies for her Bachelor’s. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. She was part of the 2023 cohort of the Kalish Workshop for Visual Editors and the 2023 cohort of the Online News Association Women’s Leadership Accelerator.
She is a general member of Women Photograph, DiversifyPhoto, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She has participated as a portfolio reviewer, speaker or juror for DiversifyPhoto, FilterPhoto, Prism Photo Workshop, the Fran Ortiz Photojournalism Grant, the Online News Association, the Institute for Nonprofit News, and the University Photographers Association of America.
Michelle was a 2025 Innovation Fellow at the Reynolds Journalism Institute. In collaboration with Alyssa Schukar, she created a free toolkit guiding local newsrooms on working ethically with freelance visual journalists — fostering systemic, lasting industry change.
Past clients include: The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Reuters, NPR, ProPublica, ESPN, Buzzfeed, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald, and more.
Reach out!
