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TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: Mercy. Let’s get a start with you giving a top line of what your unique agency is about.

MERCY: Absolutely. So, The Narrative Project is a full service, anti-racist public relations and communications agency. And in short, we’re on a mission to tell stories that do three things dismantle harmful narratives, sway public opinion, and catalyze policies to end and address the impact of systemic racism.

DOUG: That’s really important. Obviously, what’s a trend that you’re seeing so far this year that communicators really need to know about a top trend you’re seeing?

MERCY: We are no longer in the world where PR professionals sign a client on, and whatever you care about, suddenly that’s what I care about. What I’m seeing more and more of is organizations want to hire higher professionals who care deeply about the issues that they care about, right? We’re seeing mission alignment as a trend in the industry.

DOUG: I understand you have some specific research about polarization. Can you share that with us?

MERCY: We conducted a number of qualitative interviews with leaders of nonprofit organizations throughout Connecticut to really get an understanding of what they wanted from a public relations practitioner. Were you looking for someone who knew how to be objective and neutral? Or were you really looking for someone who was a bit of a zealot on your issue? And time and time again, in every single conversation we had? What the data showed was every single nonprofit leader wanted zealots on their team. And so, what does that tell us for the industry? It really says this trend that we’re seeing, not just here in Connecticut, but nationwide of polarization is trickling down in a lot of ways to mission driven places. We want to see practitioners who believe in the work that they are espousing and the work that they’re working on supporting. It’s not just the times of yesteryear where your practitioner and, you know, my opinions don’t matter. We really are seeing more and more industry leaders want to work with public relations and communications professionals who care about their issues.

DOUG: Yeah, that’s really interesting because there’s also a balance part of it, just as today. One person’s racism definition might be completely different from another in the polarized state that you talk about. Does it make sense to have someone who clearly is a believer in the mission, but maybe not quite as zealot, so they can understand opposition and how you balance and deliver that message to what may seem like a polarized society.

MERCY: Excellent question. So, I think that word zealot came up a great deal in our conversations. And it’s one that we pull out because that’s really what we are hearing from mission driven leaders. We want zealots, but I think at the same time, in these conversations, what we found out is we still want people who have their wits about them, right? We still want people who are able to come in and utilize both the traditional and the contemporary methods of communications to reach people. A lot our missions, the missions that we care about most, are these mission driven organizations. They’re not just interested in speaking to the choir. They want to convert. And so, we want to sell it on the mission. But we also want you to be a learned professional who knows how to talk to people in ways that allow them to come over to our side.

DOUG: And objectivity is key, because you might have to be able to share some messages that aren’t like everything’s wonderful, everything roses and tulips kind of thing. You know, there might be some things they need to do differently to really achieve their mission’s goals.

MERCY: The word objectivity, I feel, has changed so much, if even in just this last decade or two. Right. You know, I’m a graduate of a journalism school, and I spent I started my career in journalism before I transitioned over to public relations. And at that time, we were saying transitioned over to the dark side, right. Um, this idea that you’re no longer being objective, right? Like, if you can’t see the issue from both sides, then you’re not objective. And I just actually don’t think our industry is moving in that direction anymore. There is residue of this idea of objectivity that we almost inherently believe, which is more that we want an objective eye coming into the research without bias towards where the research is going to take you. That’s the objective entry point, but once the data shows us a direction or another, right, that objectivity isn’t still there where we’re saying no, but I can see both sides. And so that that is another thing that I think is has changed over the last decade or two.

DOUG: Yeah, it’s really important to be, quote, objective. If the way I’m using it, that you can see when new information and new data might force you to change your opinion instead of being so locked in. It’s also interesting that, you know, based on some survey data we have, you know, outside of local TV news, um, journalism broadcast that might be called the negative side. It might be switching roles with PR. What are some of the key skills or expertise that your professionals really need to focus on to be able to promote progressive causes in this environment?

MERCY: There’s two that I’m thinking of. I think we actually need to be, as an industry, pulling from a bit of an interdisciplinary approach. And by that, I mean, there’s the communications field that a lot of us are learned in, and a lot of us have studied for a long time, but then there’s that interpersonal communication that a lot of us actually haven’t spent a lot of time in. And there is this method of nonviolent communication that was developed by a psychologist. And this this method of nonviolent communication really asks the question, how can you and I both get what we need out of this exchange?

DOUG: Yeah. And it’s interesting when you say nonviolent communication, it almost makes it seem to me it’s like a win win that’s being proposed for all sides benefit. One of the interesting that’s changed, and I’d love to get your perspective with others who are looking at doing social progressive public relations work is in the past administration. More of that is coming from the government than clearly what the current administration is doing. They’re not, you know, investing in promoting progressive causes. Is that creating opportunities for PR and organizations to sort of step into the void?

MERCY: The Narrative Project certainly isn’t unique in this. I think that across the nation you see agencies tick. Specifically, mission driven agencies have a tick up in, um, in client intake. When you are in a national moment when nonprofits need a little bit extra help, but when we are in, you know, peacetime, if you will, right? Nonprofits, they just need a little bit less help and there’s a little bit less to fight for. What I think would be my advice to those nonprofit leaders is communicating during wartime will be a lot less difficult if we kind of just always kept our foot on the gas, right? I think that natural, you know, inclination to ebb and flow might be doing us harm in the long run. And so, I think, you know, you make a fine point that the government used to be the sort of progressive funder of these issues and certainly needed to be rallied against at times when You know, you needed to grab your government by the reins and say, this is what we’re doing now. This is the moment we’re in now. Says we’re no longer there. And since we’re seeing the government actually be the one imposing these sort of more oppressive policies, what we will likely see, and I’m really interested in Doug, I’d love to hear what you have to say about this story. A bit of a seat change. You know, journalists are being silenced over and over, and they’re not going to have as much availability as much, you know, flexibility to really speak out on issues that we might label as justice issues, but they’re just kind of the issues that are rooted in equity and are rooted in, you know, how many people have their needs met, right? And because they’ll be tethered to their ability to either speak or not speak. I mean, we’ve got the AP being cast it out from the newsroom. And now although now they have been brought back in. I think because that is the case, we’re actually going to see agencies that are in the for-profit sector but really interested in justice issues, thinking more deeply about how can I actually speak out because I’m in a bit more of a protected space, right? I’m not a nonprofit that has to worry about my tax status. I’m not a newspaper that has to worry about whether I’m not going to be let into certain rooms. I’m an agency on the for-profit side, and how can I utilize that platform to continue the good work?

DOUG: That’s very interesting. And it’s also, I think PR has been sort of protected where it’s like the legal industry, media, universities, education have all been targeted. So, there might be an opportunity. And again, like you say, there’s this larger pool of organizations with this progressive social mindset that really have to become do it yourselfers. With communication support they can get. Any final thoughts you’d like to leave the audience with on this very thoughtful discussion. I really appreciate it.

MERCY: You know, I think on that just that last piece, you know, as someone who has spent, you know, nearly two decades really thinking about the intersection of journalism and public relations. And, you know, there’s the bad side. There’s a good side now is sort of which ones which I think that we’re going to need to be in lockstep as practitioners and public relations practitioners and as journalists in order to get some of the more justice oriented, or, dare I say, equity issue, equity-based issues out into the world.

DOUG: That makes a lot of sense. And a lot of what we’re seeing is local news, local TV news, and our local print news has been cut back, but there’s actually been an expansion of local broadcast news in both English and Spanish. And those shows tend to be way less political. So that’s an opportunity to get your story out there. Thanks so much for being part of the video podcast. Love having you on the show.

MERCY: Thanks for having me.