Small Orgs.
Big Standards.
Are you a small newsroom, podcast team, documentary producer, or indie creator working on a complex story? Get expert editorial backup grounded in national newsroom standards—before you put your work out there.
How Grounded Words Consulting helps
A second look.
A stronger story.
When a story is difficult or sensitive, get practical guidance to make the work as accurate, fair, and transparent as possible.
Pre-publication review
Find gaps in sourcing, fairness, and context before your reporting goes out.
Podcast & documentary standards
Work through the editorial challenges of sensitive, complex stories.
Editorial policy & training
Build practical standards your team can put to work every day.
Expert-witness services
Journalism standards expertise for counsel handling defamation matters.
Why standards?
National newsroom rigor.
For your newsroom.
Large news organizations have senior standards editors. Smaller teams deserve access to that same caliber of editorial guidance.
A standards review examines the journalism: does the reporting support the story, is the framing fair, and does the audience have the context it needs? It is a review for journalists, by a journalist, distinct from legal advice.
Identify weaknesses. Strengthen the reporting. Withstand scrutiny.
Newsroom experience behind the advice
Built on reporting.
Grounded in standards.
Grounded Words Consulting is led by Chris Scholl, a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist who oversaw editorial policy and standards across NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, and Telemundo.
Explore the experienceLet’s talk about the work
What are you working on?
Send a brief, non-confidential note about your project, its current stage, and the guidance you need.
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