Public Editor: Berlin's climate reality check

For many audiences, climate journalism feels distant and something produced about them, not with them. People often see climate reporting as political or polarised, disconnected from the local realities they face every day.

Hostwriter’s Unbias the News wanted to change that. They asked: what if climate journalism could be co-created with the public? What if citizens themselves helped shape which local climate stories get told and even helped fund them?

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The Idea

Public Editor set out to experiment with a new model for community-powered journalism. The goal: to design and test a crowdfunding campaign that would let audiences directly support investigations on the climate issues they care about most.

It was an experiment in trust, transparency, and participation, asking whether readers would step up to fund local climate stories if they were invited to be part of the editorial process from the start.

• Format: A pilot community experiment combining street-level surveys, social media outreach, and a crowdfunding campaign.
• Collaborators: climateXchange for campaign development and creative strategy; local radio partners, influencers, and climate networks in Berlin.
• Engagement: Over 100 people surveyed across Berlin about their climate priorities; campaign reached more than 40,000 viewers online and drew new visitors to the newsroom’s website.
• Tone: Honest, experimental, and reflective - blending data-driven insights with a grassroots approach to engagement.

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Working with climateXchange, the team tested new ways to communicate newsroom values, developed bilingual slogans, and crafted a fresh public-facing identity for Unbias the News. The experiment became as much about learning as about fundraising.

While the crowdfunding campaign didn’t meet its funding goal, the project catalysed a ripple of positive changes in other vital ways, within the newsroom:

• Community Insights: The team gained firsthand data on audience concerns from waste management and housing to transport and media trust.
• Network Growth: Built partnerships with local media and climate organizations such as Seek Initiative and engaged new audiences in Berlin.
• Visibility: Shared as a model of climate journalism innovation with fellows at the Display Project in Lisbon.
• Empowerment: Strengthened internal capacity for experimentation, audience listening, and value-driven storytelling. 

“It was empowering to see that our audience does care about climate stories — they just want to see how they impact their daily lives.” — Unbias the News Team

The Innovation

Public Editor wasn’t about building a product; it was about building understanding. It reimagined journalism as a two-way conversation, where readers aren’t just consumers but collaborators.

By experimenting with crowdfunding, surveys, and new outreach methods, Unbias the News took a bold step toward redefining what public service journalism can look like in the climate era.

Even without financial success, the project revealed something more valuable: a blueprint for participation and a clearer picture of how audiences relate to climate reporting.

The Human Story

Behind the experiment was a team of journalists learning to speak the language of their community not just through stories, but through listening.

For Marlene, a new team member, it was a crash course in climate journalism and innovation. For the broader newsroom, it was a reminder that transformation often begins with curiosity and connection.

What’s Next

The insights gathered will shape Unbias the News’ upcoming investigations and audience strategies. The team plans to use their survey data to guide future story selection and refine how they communicate their mission to the public.

By learning what resonates, and what doesn’t, they’re one step closer to building a more trusted, community-rooted model for climate journalism.

Public Editor shows that innovation isn’t just about success metrics but about daring to ask new questions.

Because sometimes, the most powerful experiment is the one that changes how we listen.