Getting a story into the news is only the beginning. Today, stories move across platforms, shape public conversations and, in some cases, inspire real-world action. In this episode, Jenn and Brittany sit down with Em DeCiccio, Director of Operations at Lift Our Voices, to discuss what makes stories resonate beyond the newsroom. Drawing on her experience at CNN and Fox News and her current work in communications and advocacy, Em shares how complex issues gain traction, how storytelling can build momentum for change and what communicators can learn from the way journalists frame the stories that matter.
Transcript
Brittany:
Hey, Jenn. Welcome back to another ImPRessions episode.
Jenn:
Hi, Britt. Good to be back.
Brittany:
We have an interesting topic today. Really interesting guest, Emily Deciccio, who has worked across major newsrooms in New York City from CNN to Fox News to CNBC. And now she’s working with Gretchen Carlson and team over at Lift Our Voices. Super excited to jump into today’s podcast.
Jenn:
Oh, that’s exciting. I actually worked with Gretchen Carlson myself years ago, who is very lovely. And I obviously stand very much behind what she went through and all the great things that she’s doing today to kind of combat the awful experiences she had as a woman in media. And, you know, we’ve all experienced our own fair share of horrible things as women in business so yeah I’m very excited to chat with Em and hear a little bit more about Lift Our Voices.
Brittany:
Always exciting to see a fellow woman in business get a win so I’m excited to dive on in.
Jenn:
All right, great, let’s get to it.
Brittany:
We talk a lot about getting a story out there but what actually happens after that is just as important. Today, stories don’t stay confined to a single article or segment. They move across platforms, into public discourse, and sometimes into real world action. That journey doesn’t happen by accident. It’s shaped by how journalists report, how communicators frame, and how advocacy groups carry ideas forward. Our guest, Emily DeCiccio, Director of Operations at Lift Our Voices, has worked across all sides of that process, spending years in major newsrooms like CNN and Fox News, and now leading communications and advocacy efforts at Lift Our Voices, an organization focused on ending workplace silencing mechanisms, such as forced arbitration and NDAs. In this episode, we’re digging into how stories evolve beyond the newsroom, what makes them resonate, how complex issues gain traction, and what it actually takes to turn coverage into impact. Hi, Em. Thanks so much for joining us today.
Emily:
Hey there. I am so excited to be with y’all. And Brittany, that was an amazing intro.
Brittany:
Thank you.
Jenn:
We try. Well, Em, I really love this topic, and I’m really excited that you’re here today. What intrigues me so much is that as a guest you’ve been on both sides, right like Brit mentioned in the opening you’ve been inside major newsrooms now you’re working in communications and advocacy can you talk to us a little bit about that shift and how did it change the way you approach storytelling?
Emily:
Honestly there’s really no shift because what got me into news, first of all, is the ability to impact the narrative, let people understand stories because as you two probably know, I think stories are what build empathy. And I grew up in Florida in a very Republican area. I went to Brown, which is very liberal. And there’s disconnects because people don’t want to hear and see each other. A story can just build empathy. You can be like, oh, this person’s just afraid or, oh, this person just has never been exposed to something before. And I really believe that the news is a way to do that and to tell stories and to show what’s happening on the ground and to give people real-time information. That’s really something that has been with me and has kept me in news. And it has not been an easy industry. I mean, the hours are horrible. The pay is not good at all. But it’s the passion and the true belief that stories and information matters. What got me to lift our voices is, first of all, I worked with Julie and Gretchen when I was at Fox. Gretchen was actually one of the first shows I worked for. And then Julie Roginski, she’s an amazing democratic strategist, I actually pitched to have a show with her on Fox Digital called The Clapback. It was super subversive, Fox. And where she, as a democratic strategist, always got hate. So she could, and more than Twitter characters, could kind of clap back at all her haters. We got the Russian government mad at us. We did a lot of amazing subversive stuff. So I met them and they both at that time kind of all coalesce had the lawsuit against Roger Ailes. Just seeing what happens internally to women when they speak up and how people can turn and how big institutions try to protect themselves also can use a narrative in a nefarious way against women and against the truth. I’ve always been close to Julie. We had a podcast together for about five years and honestly, what happened was, I’m sorry, this is a circuitous and long way, but it gets to it. What got me there is then after Fox, eight years of being subversive and hustling and storytelling there, I went to CNBC and then got an offer to go to CNN Plus. And as you guys probably know, the entire after two months of CNN plus, everybody was laid off. I field produced for this show called Emerald Tailgates. And that was amazing. But again, it’s just a contract offer. And you go with the vicissitudes of the market. And that show ended a couple of seasons early. Everybody was again laid off. So honestly, it was me looking for a job and applying to so many news jobs. And at this time, this is really when all the news, like the cable news, because that’s where my career was built, have completely just started to disintegrate massive layoffs. All of my colleagues were getting laid off, too. So all the people, you know, your inside track into a network is not there. And I had a meeting with Julie. I was meeting with everybody just to be like, hey, here’s a situation. Do you know anything? And Julie is like, Em you know right now we need an executive assistant I know you know and we’re working on legislation and we need someone who can write newsletters and stuff like that I know you know your skills are completely different but we can offer you money and you can pay rent and I was like great and seeing the work that Julie and Gretchen did like I knew about lift our voices um but seeing incredible work that they were doing, they passed the two biggest labor laws of the past century, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault Act and the Speak Out Act, like they were actually doing the work. So that’s how I got into Lift Our Voices, seeing how they were able to navigate the halls of Congress. For example, Gretchen being from Fox, Julie being a Democratic strategist, they were able to pass these two bipartisan bills. So also it’s learning how to code switch and talk to people to be able to get action done because you see a lot of nonprofits but what’s unique about Lift Our Voices is where they and we are actually getting legitimate laws passed. And they helped pass three already state NDA laws, Washington State, California, and New Jersey, working on New York and Connecticut now. But it’s really, it’s the understanding of being able to talk to people. the power and then also Julie and Gretchen just having gotten knocked down essentially by narratives that were wrong and learning how to kind of use that.
Brittany:
You talked a little bit just kind of about layoffs and you know kind of entering this realm with CNN Plus taking this jump and our next we’re gonna have more questions kind of about the shift in the media landscape but can you talk a little bit about how like those layoffs affect how media is produced and kind of how it shifts for the audience when a staff is let go like that?
Emily:
Oh it’s like I feel like we’re killing ourselves or the cable news. Those in charge are killing themselves because, for example, you know, they’re laying off the newsrooms and the newsrooms are the people who can gather the information. And I know, for example, what’s happening at CNN, they’ll be laying people off in the New York shows and then hiring them in Atlanta because they could do it cheaper. And so then you have like half your staff in Atlanta and you have a breaking news story so you have to, there’s a, there’s an energy inside a newsroom. Like when you can feel stuff like, hey, I’m going to call this person. Hey, I’m going to reach out to this person where you’re just all kind of working as one big machine, first of all. And then it’s tough when you’re not there and you’re not in the room with everybody and then you’re also, the level of, I think, of people being hired and all that, you’re looking at money and not skill. And sometimes just looking at the bottom line and hiring someone or laying off a team to hire a lot of people for way cheaper devalues it. Because with news, it’s the experience that you get. And it’s understanding how to tell a story. You build sources over the years. You build just a network of people that, you know, Brittany, for example, just like building PR contacts who, you know, I, I know the people that you cover. If I need somebody, I’m like, great. I have this contact that I have built over years to build trust, to get a contact. And that is like the value too, of having somebody who’s been in a newsroom for a long time. Okay. It’s taken me a while to earn a little more than minimum wage, but I deserve that. A lot of times right now, I think the newsrooms, then when you have less power for news too, then, you know, for example, you have less field producers that you could send on the ground when a story breaks. You have less people on the ground, so you’re not news gathering as effectively. And you’re essentially cutting off your hands to effectively tell a story in the best way. So you’re cutting off a lot of the little people. And I feel like, frankly, a lot of these bigger newsrooms are still paying the executives a ton of money and they’re not keeping the arms and they’re wondering why their news isn’t as effective either it’s because the news storytelling and the gathering of information on the ground is is also being cut off I just think they’re not understanding they’re cutting off news at a place where they’re not going about it the right way because people trust news because we’re the first on the ground. We get the right information. But if you’re cutting that off and now you’re trying to compete with people with their phones on the ground and they’re getting the areas quicker, why would they go to you than just go to Twitter and see what’s happening on the ground?
Jenn:
Yeah. And the problem too, like from a PR perspective, right, is we have clients and a lot of, you know, whatever. Our clients are just organizations, right, in general, they want media coverage, right? But not everything is going to land. So as you’re kind of talking to us about inside these newsrooms, from your experience, what do people often get wrong about how newsrooms decide what’s worth covering?
Emily:
That’s a great question. One, it’s the day-to-day stuff. So you guys, for example, for PR or comms can be working on a pitch for a long time but you know if we just got Maduro your story is not going to be on air and it’s never anything personal and I feel like I see what happens with you guys too like the client puts pressure on you and they’re like well because they think their story is the most important thing and and it’s like it’s not personal with us like you know I would I I too as like a producer like I want to save face with you guys too and be like, but then have to cancel like an hour before a recording or the show. A lot of it is what’s on the ground. What’s the latest? What’s happening? Because that is the news. And also I would, as advice to different like PR people, don’t connect your client or your brand as the expert in something that can go along with a news story. Like make it easy for a producer to keep your guest book. Like, you know, let’s say she’s a female founder and Trump just said, you know, something to a female reporter. If you want to keep her, you can also pitch her to be like, you know what, she’s been in this situation a lot in boardrooms. Maybe she could speak to that. But if we booked her to just talk about her like laser company, it’s not going to happen.
Brittany:
Kind of also you’re talking about, you know, breaking news happens. Yeah. If we get Maduro, obviously you’re not going to talk about our clients, whatever product. But when you think about stories that like really break through today, that lasts more than that five minute cycle, as we’re calling it now, what do those stories have in common? Like what, what makes a news story stick with people longer than, you know, the news cycle?
Emily:
Honestly, I think it can be that, that interview that mom who’s talking about after a school shooting, it’s getting that soundbite from the mom. A scared parent who found their kid. It’s something that relates. It’s hearing something that can build empathy. When you see the videos of people being taken from airports, you see fear. You see abject. You feel it. And sometimes people need to see it. So I think it’s the stories that break through are the stories that people can see themselves in. Because people remember a story more. I don’t know if you guys read the Nicholas Kristof book, Half the Sky, but he talks about, for example, people don’t give money when they see big numbers. They’re like, this many people in Africa are impacted by AIDS. But when you tell a story of you gave money to this one family and this one mother who then fed her whole family and was able to pay for school for her kids. People are like 80% more likely to give money. And it’s the same thing. We can give big numbers about 900,000 people have died of COVID. But if you go in the hospital and you talk to the young celebrity, the newlyweds whose husband just died of COVID, what’s going to get more impact and what are people going to care about more?
Brittany:
I know you worked through COVID and things like that, and those are definitely out of the realm of normalcy. How does the newsroom handle that? Like, I know, obviously, it’s all systems go, but when, you know, that happened in 2020, how did you guys respond, you know, having to work from home but still produce news about this current cycle that was going on? Like, in your experience, what was the hardest part of that?
Emily:
Honestly, it was…I actually had just gotten my job mid-COVID at CNBC for Shepard Smith’s new show. Rest in peace to that show. But it was the first primetime news show on CNBC. So it wasn’t just like a money show. And we had to be in the newsroom. So they would have vans and stuff picking us up from random spots in New York. And we’d have to wear masks and we got tested every day. So we had to be in the newsroom to build this whole new show to build this team so it was absolutely bizarre like and again having to get tested every day but you kind of feel the importance of of the job like people are watching the news and they’re tuning in to get information because they can’t go outside or you know are the hospitals full and what are the death counts and what is the latest mask mandate what what are the lawmakers saying what is the you know it’s just so crazy to think about it’s like what vaccines are ready like where are they now are they approved what could be the medical and and you felt a sense of just pride and importance so we were in the newsroom it was an insane time but it also just shows like why information is so important like should we wear a mask should we go get vaccinated what are people saying? Like what’s happening with the economy? I mean, that’s, it just shows like information is important. And I, you know, I think despite what people say about the media and all of that, it’s, that’s, that’s the kind of thing that I think really breaks through and really is what people need. And I don’t know what’s going to happen with cable news in this format and how it grows and how it can still. Because I think it is so important to relay information. I don’t know what replaces that and the effectiveness and the fact-based-ness of this area, if that makes sense.
Brittany:
No, definitely. Kind of shifting gears here, you’ve worked closely with Gretchen Carlson and the entire Lift Our Voices team. When you’re trying to bring attention to a serious topic like forced arbitration or non-disclosure agreements, which can feel pretty complex or technical, especially if you’re not on the receiving end of one. How do you make that resonate with a broader audience?
Emily:
Honestly, what I’ve learned from Gretchen and Julie, it’s being able to connect it to what’s happening in the news now. Because forced arbitration is not sexy or NDAs until they’re never sexy. But it’s not important until it happens to you, until you’re sexually harassed and can’t talk about it in silence. So people usually don’t care about the issue until it happens to them. So one of the best strategies is, and this is Gretchen and Julie’s brilliance, it’s aligning it to a news story that’s happening. For example, survivors in the Epstein case, why survivor stories mattered, how in Weinstein, there’s just a Hollywood reporter. piece about how he used NDAs to silence his victims. And it’s highlighting it. So one, you can simplify an issue, which is very something we’ve all done in the news. Like, how do you make people care about gerrymandering? Like you need to simplify it in a way that impacts them being like, well, this is how this person in your area got elected. Or, you know, with NDAs, this is how this toxic boss stayed in power because everyone was silenced. And this is what forced arbitration is like. Forced arbitration, you can’t take your case to court and you won’t have your voice heard. And forced arbitration very much favors, in most cases, the place that you work. It never favors the employee. So your voice will never be heard. You might get a small settlement, have to sign an NDA, and you will probably never work in that industry again. So in the long way of answering that question, it’s assigning it to a news or an event that’s happening to make it feel real for people and show how real it is.
Jenn:
So I want to continue on that with Lift Our Voices, because it’s played a pivotal role in shaping national conversations, as you were talking about before, and even legislative change. Can you tell us from your perspective, how does storytelling help build that kind of momentum?
Emily:
First of all, it makes people understand it. So you see the issue. And it also, it keeps it in the news because that’s one of the things that I find so powerful with the news. It shapes the narrative. So I guess on being on the other side and in a nonprofit, you want to connect your work to relevant what’s happening, relevant information. And that’s also why, for example, Julie and Gretchen, the next part of the next bill that we’re federally working on is the Protecting Older Americans Act. So in that we’ll have to do with, for example, a lot of the senators and lawmakers are older. So it has to do with discrimination as they get older. So you want stuff that people care about in the moment and that can realistically you know, get through Congress. So it’s the stories people, one, out of fear that something could happen to them. And a lot of older lawmakers are feeling like they could be discriminated against. And so they want to protect themselves. And that’s also how laws are passed. Like you see, you see these young girls, for example, with Epstein being still victimized and treated horribly. You don’t want that to happen in the future to any other young victims. So you want to protect them. So it’s, I guess, making people understand that these things are in the fabric of our lives. And we need to disrupt that in a way that can make everybody safer and everybody have just an equitable, non-toxic environment to live and move through the world in.
Brittany:
Building off a little bit of that sensitivity that you just kind of explained, when you’re working on an issue that has real human stakes, you know, like workplace rights or survivor advocacy, you know, we mentioned Epstein, we mentioned Weinstein. How do you balance being emotionally compelling without losing your credibility or being seen as overly sensational?
Emily:
Really, Julie and Gretchen have been amazing in threading the needle at that because they have experience of being survivors. Not the same positions, but positions like that. But really keeping it survivor-centric and not being like, we’re trying to use this news as an example and not as clickbait. We’re trying to keep it survivor-focused. And this is what happens to keep systems from continuing to maintain their status quo and continuing to keep the people down. The story of it and not the, you know, not, not the like here, let’s look at all the stuff that Diddy did. Let’s look at how he was able to stay in power and keep victimizing so many people in that. I think it’s, it’s, it’s using a headline, but using it in a way that can keep the conversation going and not cheapen anything.
Brittany:
To round this out, you’ve worked closely with women navigating complex and often challenging workplace situations. What’s one piece of advice you consistently find yourself giving to women who feel their voices maybe aren’t being heard or are being silenced?
Emily:
Oh, well, I’m not a good example because I have constantly, like, I feel like stood up and maintained my integrity in a lot of places, especially in different newsrooms where it’s hard. But I won’t cover a story unless I can get two sides of it and really because I take it so seriously. But my advice for women is if your gut is telling you something, follow it. Write everything down. Keep a record. Because most of the time, society is freaking gaslighting you. You have to question everything and never believe yourself. Write everything down. And if your gut is telling you something, follow it. Sometimes you do have to go with the flow, but you know, the way to be able to stop it is one, maintain that trust in yourself and that belief in your gut. And also be able to, to talk to people about it, be able to talk to your friends, be able to talk to if, if you trust a mentor, because it’s, you’re not alone in the more that people talk about it and don’t accept this kind of treatment. I truly believe the more it can change in the, because silence, I think, or what they say, sunlight is the best disinfectant. We need to get these stories out there. And honestly, people won’t feel alone either. I’m curious with you guys, what is your most frustrating aspect of being in your industry and dealing with media?
Jenn:
Oh God, great question. I feel like we could talk about this all day. Well, first and foremost, I feel bad for a lot of reporters today because a lot of publications have let so many people go. And the ones that are left are taking on double the amount of work. Like you said before, not great pay, right, on that end of the world. And so it’s really hard for us, even if from a PR professional has like a great story or one of our clients has a great story, even if it’s perfect, it fits the beat, it fits the publication, it fits the audience, it’s intriguing, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will get picked up or covered because this one person is doing so many other things, right? And I don’t blame them. So that part of it is hard, but the pressure to still get coverage hasn’t changed. So our jobs are harder in that vein. Our clients are still expecting coverage. You know, we have less to work with today. So I feel like that’s one of the biggest things that I gripe with. Yeah.
Brittany:
Yeah. To truly parrot Jenn, like completely understand. I know a lot of reporters are being forced into freelance and are kind of not getting their due, their due process, if you will, because it’s such an important job. My one thing with journalists is just respond and say no. Like, I understand things are busy. I understand that you can’t always cover what I’m sending. It’s that limbo you know like just tell me like hey this isn’t a fit right now let’s have another conversation in three months or no this isn’t a fit stop reaching out to me rather than that limbo of being like is this getting lost are, they ignoring me, like you kind of feel like a needy girlfriend you know?
Emily:
I think one I would encourage you guys to always at least do one follow-up but make it meaningful, be like hey I know you’ve been busy i know like I ran and this is happening, but just wanted to ping you. I also have these other clients who might be helpful. I want to be like an asset to you. I think if honestly, if I had gotten more follow-ups like that in a lot of times, for example, I’ll get an email like of a good pitch, I’ll like it. But then you get a news alert, like understanding the, the, I guess the rhythm of a newsroom, like you have data minor open, you see like 8 million things happening and it’s just like such a web. And I think I agree with that. No one should ghost. I don’t believe in ghosting at all. But I think also just I think advice also for you guys would be definitely follow up. Follow up in a meaningful way. Don’t just say, hey, circling back on the below because we won’t read the below or we will have forgotten about it. But if you do something like that, I think it could be really helpful because, again, knowing. you guys have a certain amount of clients and having, you know, like Brittany, I, you’re great like I trust you and your clients and knowing that, you know, you have somebody who’s an ally. And if you guys, I think also positioned yourself as that, I think, and that is something that you do great Brit, like would, would be helpful too.
Brittany:
I always appreciate turning anything into the Brittany compliment show. So thank you.
Emily:
Absolutely. Like she’s like, come on.
Brittany:
No, that’s all that’s interesting. And definitely always things are so constantly changing that obviously, you know, your technique and your outreach has to adjust and shift as well. So always appreciate a little feedback on that front.
Emily:
Can I also, because one of the tough things is too, when a client is so highly like, here’s the talking points that we want, you know, Christina here to talk about, but she won’t, she won’t veer off. So that makes it also, it kind of like ties a producer’s hands being like, well, Christina only wants to talk about her album, but, you know, there’s breaking news about Diddy happening right now. So it’s also too, like, I think making also your clients understand if they’re not going to talk about anything but the thing, it makes it also tough for a news producer to be able to use them in a diverse way way to even just try to keep the segment because trust me, I try to, I fight for segments that I’ve worked on, but it’s like, you can’t do that in the news industry. Like you can’t fall in love with a segment because the more you fall in love with it, the more it’s going to get cut.
Brittany:
This conversation really highlights how much the life cycle of a story has changed. It’s no longer just about coverage. It’s about what happens next. How a story is picked up, interpreted, shared, and ultimately whether it influences how people think or act. For anyone working in communications, this shift matters. It changes how you approach storytelling, how you think about media, and how you measure your success. Emily, thank you again for joining us and walking you through your perspective. We really appreciate it. And thanks to everyone listening in. Be sure to follow along on the Pollack Group social channels and join us next time for more conversations on the evolving world of PR and marketing.
