Reston, Va., Nov. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A recent string of news reports about the effect shortages of stenographic court reporters in courtroom proceedings fail to note that in most areas impacted, those shortages are the result of low pay rates, and other issues, according to the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters and captioners.
“Claims of a court reporter shortage are all too often a matter of geography and market. When courthouses pay and offer benefits competitively, they become fully staffed, and litigants are not faced with the choice of paying market rates to have the best system available or rely upon what the courthouse is willing to provide for keeping the record,” said NCRA President Jason T. Meadors, FAPR, RPR, CRR, CRC, a freelance court reporter and agency owner from Fort Collins, Colo.
“The human court reporter is the gold standard for making the court record. Simple recording cannot adequately replace the reporter’s function,” he added.
While Meadors noted that that use of digital recording systems abounds in jurisdictions across the country, overwhelmingly the judicial system has shown its preference for the professional, qualified, and certified court reporter as the guardian of the record of proceedings.
To assign that responsibility to a lesser means constitutes a diminution of rights to the public interest at large. When people’s (and society’s) ultimate rights are at issue, and the trial is only as good as the record of trial, the human court reporter is needed to ensure that all parties receive due process, he added.
Meadors further explained that the court reporter is the one with the presence of mind during the proceedings to ensure that the record is kept in good order, is subject to strict ethics of impartiality, with the reporter’s ultimate loyalty devoted entirely to the accuracy of the record. Not to any party. To the record. Further, the court reporter is the chain of custody from proceedings to ultimate transcript, ensuring that no tampering has occurred, and the tools used in keeping the record are electronically aligned to the ultimate product, ensuring its security.
“The court reporter is the ultimate authority, from proceedings to transcript, as the protector of the public against abuse at the proceedings. To quote an old but important case, the court reporter’s transcript ‘imports verity.’ Verity in our record of proceedings is vital,” Meadors said.
He also noted that claims of a reporter shortage are often a bit hyperbolic. Like most industries and professions, shortages exist in various regions around the county.
“This is especially true when it comes to court reporting in states that have more stringent certification requirements. Such requirements often create a labor deficit by creating a high bar that must be cleared to practice as a stenographer. However, it is important to note that, in many other areas of the country, the supply of certified stenographic court reporters approaches parity with the demand for their services,’ Meadors said.
Court reporting and captioning professions offer viable career choices that do not require a four-year college degree and yet offer good salaries, flexible schedules, and interesting venues. Demand is increasing for reporters and captioners in order to meet the growing number of employment opportunities available nationwide and abroad. Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events, and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities, and more.
To arrange an interview with a working court reporter or captioner, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact pr@ncra.org.
The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has been the internationally recognized for promoting excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text for more than 100 years. NCRA is committed to supporting its more than 14,000 members in achieving the highest level of professional expertise with educational opportunities and industry-recognized court reporting, educator, and videographer certification programs. NCRA impacts legislative issues and the global marketplace through its actively involved membership. Forbes has named court reporting as one of the best career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the court reporting field is expected to grow by 14 percent through the year 2020. Career information about the court reporting profession—one of the leading career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree—can be found at NCRA DiscoverSteno.org.
