The recent brouhaha (I wrote this post so I could use the word “brouhaha”) over The New York Times’ decision to bar tech columnist David Pogue from serving as a paid speaker at PR conferences underscores the perpetually fraught dynamic between journalists and PR professionals.

Arthur Brisbane, the paper’s public editor who moved to take action against Pogue’s participation in such events, notes, “The “Pitch Me” presentation might strike some as pretty harmless. But there is a reason why The Times ethics policy proscribes it. Times readers deserve to be assured that journalists don’t get too cozy with the P.R. professionals who strive to influence coverage.”

Here’s the thing: Journalists have been participating in these types of events and relying on PR pros/their clients for ages. A PR person’s objective is to get his/her client’s story heard. That involves knowing key influencers (reporters, editors, producers, bloggers, etc.), building relationships, and crafting and delivering stories in a way that makes them stand out. A journalist’s objective is to find a good story and tell it in an engaging and balanced way. These goals are not in direct conflict. A good journalist does reporting and research to determine what’s really newsworthy and to get a picture of the broader context. Relationship building is very much part of the process for both parties.

Interestingly, in this era of overwhelming 24-7 digital communication journalists actually seem to be more open than ever to face-to-face meetings. Case in point: I was in The New York Times offices just a couple weeks ago introducing my client, a professor at IMD, a business school in Switzerland, to a colleague of Pogue’s at The New York Times. I was able to interest the reporter in taking the meeting by presenting my client as a potentially useful resource for the types of stories he typically writes. It was, of course, up to the journalist to evaluate my client’s information and expertise. I’d have to be some kind of magician to talk him or any other good reporter into writing a story with no news value, so Brisbane’s underlying concern about journalists and PR people getting “too cozy” strikes me as an underestimation of the writer’s competency.

What’s your feeling about it?

After getting a lot of “feedback” (read: brouhaha) Brisbane’s now working on a follow up column “PR professionals: bane or a boon?” and he’s seeking input, so weigh in here, there, or in both places, if you’d like.

Memoirs are flying off shelves. Social networking sites are more popular than coffee shops. Reality TV continues to reel in giant audiences. We’re living in an era of revelation. People are longing to connect, identify, relate. Personal stories have always attracted audiences’ attention, but they seem to have more pull now than ever before.

As communicators we’re always in search of a compelling narrative, but sometimes when charged with telling a business story, we overlook the personal piece. Used strategically though, the human element can be one of our most powerful tools.

I was reminded of this recently when a client of ours, Lisa Welchman, shared a story about her childhood aspiration to become a dancer. Her instructor told her she’d never make it as a professional ballerina. She was devastated, but her father’s subsequent advice, “start your own dance company,” set her on the path to becoming a successful entrepreneur. We were moved by the story. Even though we were charged with promoting Lisa’s business – she’s a pioneer in web operations management, working on with clients like the U.N. and Harvard – we decided to spend some time pitching a profile. When the New York Times business section feature showcasing Lisa’s personal approach ran, we saw that the story resonated with readers as much as it had with us. People reached out to Lisa to tell her how inspired they were, and buzz about the article spread online.

When another client of ours was appointed to the CEO position at an advertising agency, her remarkable work-life juggle – she’s the mother of two young children (one with severe disabilities) – made her personal narrative irresistible. Who doesn’t want to know how a successful leader can manage all that? We discussed the approach with her and decided to pursue her story in the form of a personal essay. A moving, beautifully written piece in which she explores her struggles with compartmentalizing work and home life will publish on Babble later this month.

We desire to see others in an authentic way and we’re drawn to stories with a protagonist and an idiosyncratic human struggle. A person and their work are often inextricably linked, and a leader’s perspective and personal history runs through the spine of whatever they do. Lance Armstrong knows this. His memoirs further established him as an icon, extended his reach and helped turn his LiveStrong Foundation into a meaningful brand. President Obama too had more than one revealing book out as he began his meteoric rise. While personal revelation is often uncomfortable and is sometimes risky, the pay off – a human, memorable, relatable story – can be significant.

A child of the ‘80s, I love a great music video. From U2, INXS, and Robert Palmer to Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Blind Melon – I enjoy watching and singing along. A few years back, I couldn’t get enough of OK Go’s video for “Here It Goes Again,” perhaps better known as the “treadmill video.”

Now it appears the band is well on its way to having a second viral success with its latest video for “This Too Shall Pass,” which features a ginormous Rube Goldberg machine.

I haven’t seen the video on MTV or VH1, just online. And apparently I’m not the only one. Since the video was released on March 1, it has received over seven million views. Its popularity is not an accident: The band had help promoting the video from PR firm Big Hassle.

According to the PRNewser blog on Mediabistro, Big Hassle sent out two pitches to promote the video – one of which was a rather long press release, the other a very brief reminder about the video’s debut. Traditional pitches for a music video? I admit, I was surprised to learn about the PR effort for the video. It was a reminder that even in a world filled to the brim with new media and fresh approaches, long-established communication methods are still valuable and not to be overlooked. The pitches led to media coverage that drove awareness. Plus, I learned about the video before my nearly 13-year-old stepson who practically lives on YouTube.

Check out the full press release here.

Watch the video here.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tony award winner and Alexander Hamilton aficionado.

Alexander Hamilton was an author of the Federalist papers and first secretary of the U.S. Treasury. He was the leading champion of a central government and was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr.

A little boring, right?  How about this:

“How does the bastard orphan  

Son of a whore and a Scotsman 

Dropped in 

The middle of a forgotten  

Spot in  

The Caribbean

By providence

Impoverished

In squalor,

Grow up to be a hero

And a scholar?”

Aside from his Tony award-winning musical In the Heights, a less well-known demonstration of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s storytelling genius is a rap he composed about Alexander Hamilton.

That’s right, rap. The Hamilton Mixtape, part of which Miranda performed at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word in 2009, engages and entertains like no dry history textbook account could.

We as public relations professionals are essentially storytellers.  We spend much of our time researching our clients and choosing the right words to tell their stories.  Relating the facts isn’t enough.  It’s our job to tell each story well. 

Good PR people don’t distort the facts of any story to make it more provocative or sensational.  Facts reign supreme.  But we must strive to humanize the message – tying it in to something with which the receiver can connect and delivering it in a way that resonates.  Doing so shows a depth of understanding – not only of our clients and their stories, but of the audience for which each message is intended.

Telling a story well lifts the veil that separates the sender from receiver, enhancing the transparency that is so important to an organization’s credibility and, ultimately, its authentic connection to its audience.