The Experiment Edition

By Eleni Kasimou

This month is about curiosity: testing, tinkering, and rethinking how stories are told. In this Media Hat, we look at small experiments with big changes, from YouTube title testing to solidarity reporting that puts dignity at the center. Also, we added a few changes so it's a bit longer than usual :p

If you're new here, welcome!    

Each month, we round up tools, ideas, and behind-the-scenes insights to help journalists who wear many “hats” — reporters, editors, producers, creators, and everything in between. 

Up your sleeve 

Tools and tricks you can put to work right away   

New tools to elevate your reporting 

Workshops at this year’s #iMEdIJF25 introduced fresh techniques to make reporting more engaging and inventive. Explore tipsheets on making impact with immersive media, how to make data sound, using conflict data in reporting, investigating natural disasters with satellite imagery, and coping with stress, trauma, and burnout. And a lot more.. 

📌 Good for: reporters, editors, multimedia producers and data or visual journalists

👉 Check out the resources in part 01 and part 02 

Resources for reporting in risky environments 

The Dangerous Solidarity project at the Center for Media Engagement - The University of Texas at Austin offers practical tools and research for journalists and media practitioners who face threats for reporting truthfully on marginalized communities. It looks at how solidarity reporting can endanger safety and offers ways to protect dignity, justice, and truth in the process.    

📌 Good for: reporters working in high-risk contexts, editors building safety protocols. 

👉 Explore the project  

How to A/B test podcast titles on YouTube 

Great titles drive views — and now you can test them scientifically. In Podcast Strategy Weekly, Chris Stone shows how YouTube’s new A/B testing tools help you compare up to three versions of a title or thumbnail to see which works best. Test things like your full masthead vs. icon, adding text, using sans serif fonts, or even bold red highlights  then let YouTube pick the winner based on real audience data.   

📌 Good for: podcast producers, video teams, and social editors growing audiences. 

👉 Read the full guide  

Behind the scenes 

Research, explainers & deeper context to help you connect the dots 

Mapping Gaza’s destruction — from space 

After the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, new satellite analysis reveals the scale of destruction and displacement across Gaza. Using Planet and Sentinel-1 data, journalists and researchers mapped destroyed buildings, refugee tents, and repeatedly struck sites, showing how data and science deepen real-time reporting. By Ethan Bronner , Fadwa Hodali , Tom Février , Corey Scher , and Jamon Van Den Hoek .   

📌 Good for: data journalists, investigative teams, and visual storytellers. 

👉 Read the full story     

Why audiences trust faces, not logos 

In Products in Publishing newsletter, Lars K Jensen explores why audiences connect more with journalists than institutions and how newsrooms can build trust by amplifying their reporters. It’s a reminder that personal storytelling and transparency aren’t trends — they’re the backbone of credibility.   

📌 Good for: editors, audience-development leads, and publishers.

👉 Read or listen to the full article 

Community Spotlight 

New voices, bold experiments, and big ideas from the field 

Submit your work for the 2026 European Press Prize 

The European Press Prize is now open for entries, celebrating great journalism — from major newsrooms to small local outlets. Journalists from across Europe, plus Belarus and Russia, are eligible to apply, as well as those publishing for European outlets.  

📌 Good for: freelancers, newsroom teams, and investigative groups reporting accross Europe.

👉 Submit your work by 14 December 2025    

FYI   
Our team will be at #IPIWoCo25 in Vienna, one of the leading global meetups for media innovation and collaboration. 
👋 Come say hi if you’re around — let’s talk tools, ideas, and newsroom experiments.          

Meet the Top 50 Creator-Model Journalists of 2025 

Project C highlights 50 journalists redefining how the press connects with audiences — blending credibility, creativity, and community. Their work shows how personal brands and public trust can coexist.   

📌 Good for: digital editors, newsroom leaders, communication specialists and anyone exploring creator-journalism trends. 

👉 Explore the full list     

Let’s Chat!  

Help us grow the Media Hat circle! Share this with a colleague, send me a tool you’re loving, or tell me what’s working in your newsroom.   

Always love hearing from you. — see you next month! 🙌