Nation Faces
Critical Shortage of Certified Court Reporters
©
COPYRIGHT HUSEBY, INC. 2008
Many people
assume that technology has reduced job opportunities for court
reporters. In fact, technology has only increased demand while
fear of obsolescence has shrunk the work force. Here are a few
examples of how this career is booming.
New
York Scares Off Certified Court Reporters
There are only
405 court reporters serving the eight million people of New York
City, and the state has only itself to blame.
Several years
ago, New York courts implemented a program to use electronic
recordings in courtrooms. This widely publicized change led to
the belief that there would be no reporter jobs. Court
reporting programs closed for lack of students until only two
schools were left in the city.
This alarming
drop set off an alarm in the state government. Realizing their
mistake they worked hard to encourage young people to choose the
court reporting
career path. Schools are opening again but there is still a
critical shortage of reporters.
Florida
on the Same Path
Florida seems
to be repeating New York’s mistake. They recently announced a
similar program to implement electronic recordings in some court
rooms. “I think this is inevitable and it's progress,” said Ron
Stuart of the Pinellas-Pasco judicial court. “It's going to be
a more accurate system. We certainly have no plans to go back.”
The president
of the Florida Court Reporters Association, Rick Greenspan,
disagrees. “The best voice-to-text machine that anyone ever
developed is the live human being,” he says. Many agree and the
state is expected to experience the same critical shortage of
certified court
reporters.
Effects
Felt Outside the Country
The US is not
the only one feeling the shortage, but US schools are reaping
the benefits as other countries struggle to train the court
reporters they need.
For example,
the Bahamas is actively recruiting foreign workers to deal with
the lack of native reporters. Of only 33 reporters in the
country, 18 are immigrants. They are actively encouraging
citizens to attend American court reporting schools such as
Kilgore College in Texas. Court reporters are in such need that
the Bahamian courts are in a serious backlog.
Career
Opportunities Across the Nation
These examples
are not unique as states all over the union experience shortages
of court reporting services driven by fear of job scarcity.
And yet,
technology has only helped the profession. New opportunities in
live captioning of television and web broadcasts have given new
opportunities. Many corporations are finding uses for court
reporters in everything from sales meetings to union
negotiations.
Despite the
opinions of some in the industry, our courts will always need
certified court reporters. A tape recorder can’t ask for the
spelling of a name or ask a witness to clarify if he said he was
“Joe King” or “joking”. The reporter is the one person whose
only interest is the creation of an accurate and complete
record.
Court
reporting is and will continue to be a lucrative and rewarding
career for anyone who can meet the demands of the profession.
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