Concerned Reporters - An Information Exchange

In the Final Analysis. . .

2009-08-01T23:31:00.005-05:00

Those Cotton-Picking Cherry Pickers

2009-07-25T23:39:00.034-05:00

"Cherry picking"
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Cherry picking is the act of pointing at individual cases or data that seem to confirm a particular position, while ignoring a significant portion of related cases or data that may contradict that position.

The term is based on the perceived process of harvesting fruit, such as cherries. The picker would be expected to only select the ripest and healthiest fruits. An observer who only sees the selected fruit may thus wrongly conclude that most, or even all, of the fruit is in such good condition."

The information NCRA put out as demonstrating overwhelming support for its policies and actions was cherry picked from the different forums. This attempt to bolster a weak position doesn't begin to give members full and adequate facts. In fact, in answer to two survey questions at ConcernedReporters.com, the percentage of support for the Association's position was less than 12 percent on each survey. Using the pie chart above, this is half of the slice left on the plate. In other words, 88 to 90 percent of the respondents to the survey said no to the NCRA initiative. Half-baked ideas usually receive half-baked support.

The question was asked at the board meeting in February, "Does the NCRA board have the resolve to stand tough to this solution?" The questions that should be asked are: Number 1, does the NCRA board have the resolve to stand tough against the cherry pickers? And number 2, for what reason do they continually work to abandon the foundation of the Association?

Is this the act of a desperate group within NCRA? More than likely, yes. But as reckless as it is, don't you believe for one minute it is the last act of desperation. The cherry pickers have decided not to listen to the membership again -- and again and again. What logic is there to this effort? On the one hand, NCRA has been making noise in Florida and California against the replacement of steno reporters with Digital Audio Machine (DAM) operators. That's good. But to offset the positive, they want to train, certify and eventually, (although they deny it) offer professional membership to the very cherry- picked trainees who will replace the steno professional members who they are defending today.

It is time to recruit and employ leadership and staff who will not seek their own personal goals, but who will work for the membership, we who share the same skill set as Guardians of the Record.

If NCRA wanted to get the attention of all steno reporters, they have succeeded in doing that. It is time for all reporters to join in the fight against those who want to replace us. All professional members need to be the tip of the spear in the defense of their profession, not only against those outside the Association who want us to fail, but also the self-aggrandizing individuals on the inside who seek opportunity at the profession's expense.

The present NCRA president says they have been paring headquarters down. If so, it's a start. But expenses should be cut to the bone to reflect today's reality and it is a continuing, dedicated process. Would we rather cut down on services from our association or would we rather lose our jobs as we watch our association training our replacements? A rhetorical question, yes, but a question that should be asked again and again until the cherry pickers listen and finally understand.

In every controversy there are always winners and losers. In this high-stakes debate, it is the steno reporter who will be the loser. The winner? The button-pushing DAM operators, of course. Although their certification may start in the courthouse setting, do not think for a minute the freelance reporters get a pass. Get ready, they’re coming your way.

There is no need for any Board Member, headquarters staff or even the CEO to have pie on their face at the end of this debate. But people, you must understand, no means no. Take the final word of the membership for what it means . Let's move forward together as equals and make the Association that represents the Guardians of the Record a revitalized phoenix, stronger than before and ready to fight the good fight.

An Idea that's All Wet

2009-06-07T13:17:00.090-05:00

"When two men share an umbrella, both of them get wet."
- Michael Isenberg

A new umbrella association? By voting yes to Bylaw Amendment #2, videographers will now be full members in our association, classified like us as "registered members," able to vote and be a board member or an officer. In reading the bylaws on the NCRA website, you'll see under Article III, Membership, Secion 9, (b): "Only participating and REGISTERED members, as well as retired and lifetime stenographic reporters, shall be eligible to vote. And (c): "Only REGISTERED members shall be able to hold an elective office of the association."

Until this point, NCRA has been a stenographic writers association. If you look at the bylaws, "Article II--Purpose," everything relates to "verbatim stenographic reporters..." With the umbrella association officially being formed, we will no longer have 100% of the vote on issues concerning our jobs and profession. We will no longer have only stenographic reporters on our board of directors and as our association's officers shaping our future.

New additions to our family are also on the way, coming from the same associate members category (not allowed to vote or hold office) the videographers are currently in. Read the comments on this in the NCRA's online forum under the thread "How does testing digital audio operators help?" You can read the full comments there, but some believe that since we charge dues to associate members and charge seminar fees for continuing education for them, they should be given the registered membership same as us, able to vote and govern.

And as our president, Karen Yates, said in her president's page of the most recent JCR, "The association must broaden its identity." It's clear the current BoD is no longer interested in the association remaining a stenographic reporters association. She states we need to start working with the voice-to-text technologies. She concludes by stating "Please come along with us as we build the new NCRA."

So the plan, of course, is to test and certify other groups and technologies who are associate (nonvoting) members, and then make the argument that they should be able to have full privileges, equal in every way to us in our association, able to vote and sit on our board of directors and make decisions which ultimately affect us.

A new NCRA umbrella association of any and all technologies has thus arrived. Will these other technologies actually vote for our interests...or will they vote for the interests of their own profession, different from ours? And will the dues they bring in really benefit stenographic reporters...or will they have to be returned to spend on these new groups by providing them continuing education seminars and conferences, testing opportunities, etc.?

So where is the ultimate benefit to us, if it's not in having someone vote with us for our benefit, and it's not in seeing all revenues received by them go to benefit the stenographic reporters association, which is what we are designed to be?

This first group of videographers on the list of other technologies to be ushered in might not outnumber us now, but they could easily vote next year or the next to bring in the new "other technologies" to also be registered, voting members, such as ER/DAR, voice writing, et al. And the more groups that are brought in as registered members (which means voting members), the smaller and smaller our piece of the pie gets, until we're the distant, barely-related cousin in this new organization called NCRA.

And Bylaw Amendment #1 votes to begin letting new members in without a current voting member endorsing them in writing. This allows all new large groups of other technologies to be ushered in quickly and quietly, with no paperwork involved. Bylaw #3 votes to allow scoping students to be brought into our student membership category. You do NOT have to be in D.C. to vote against any of these amendments. You can vote on them online within a 12-hour period of the business meeting. Further information concerning how to vote online can be found on NCRA's website http://www.ncraonline.org/.

The amendments are designed to continue working towards the creation of the full umbrella association. This umbrella is full of holes, and it's not that we're just getting soaked. We will be washed away by the incoming tsunami of all other technologies taking away our association if we don't fight what's happening and vote Aug. 6 to stop this incoming red tide.

Judy Runes

2009-05-18T12:13:00.005-05:00

Forum Message from Sue Lynn Morgan, President-Elect, NCRA
and the response from CONCERNEDREPORTERS.COM (in italics and blue).

SUE LYNN MOGAN: Do you want NCRA to still exist in five years? Ten years?
CONCERNED REPORTERS: Yes.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: Do you want NCRA to remain the authority on judicial record making?
CONCERNED REPORTERS: Yes.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: Do you want a place to be able to call for answers when you have questions?
CONCERNED REPORTERS: Yes.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: Do you want to be able to have opportunities for learning and networking at conferences?
CONCERNED REPORTERS: Yes.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: If you answered yes to any of those questions, then I respectfully ask all of you to seriously look at the changing environment we find ourselves working in today. No longer are courts making decisions on what is the best way of operating a court, but what is the most efficient use of the public's money to operate the court. It's called accountability and transparency. At their own pace the courts were already evolving into a digital technology environment, but the current economy has shifted that pace into high gear.

CONCERNED REPORTERS: While the courts have never been the budgeting authority, they play an integral role in deciding how best to apply their funds in a manner consistent with protecting constitutional rights of litigants. The states that are returning to live steno reporters are learning that the added hidden costs associated with ER/digital/audio transcribing are causing budgets to be strained again - not only their governmental budget, but the budget of litigants who receive poor quality transcripts.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: What is out of our control, and frustrating, is that in many courts the decision makers are not from the legal side of the courthouse. They are county commissioners and they are controlling the court budgets. And when they see that the court's budget is 95-98% salary and benefits, they have 2-5% left for operations, where are they going to start cutting? Even when judges and administrators are making the decisions, when considering such a large amount of the budget is salaries and benefits, their two options are either layoffs or furloughs.
CONCERNED REPORTERS: What is the source for quoting that a court’s budget is 95-98% salary and benefits? This is not true in a felony court. The more appropriate comparison is to see what percentage of the overall budget is spent on the "legal side" of the government - local, state or federal. NCRA has in the past and should continue in the future to play a lead role in educating those who "are not from the legal side of the courthouse" as to the function of the "legal side." Benefits paid to a county employee are a fixed cost to an employer, regardless of the position (i.e. judges and administrators)

SUE LYNN MORGAN: What does the machine court reporter produce? A transcript of the proceedings. How much do court reporters make? Use the figure $50,000 for a base salary. How much do benefits cost for that reporter? $20,000? $25,000? That's $70- to $75,000 per court reporter. CONCERNED REPORTERS: Benefits on a 50,000 salary would be calculated to cost approximately 30% -- 50k x 30% = $15,000.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: How much does it cost to install a DAR system into a courtroom? A courtroom can be made DAR-capable for $25,000. A courtroom with an obsolete, analog tape system can be brought up to state-of-the-art for DAR for $5- to $10,000.
CONCERNED REPORTERS: The low salary for the person who monitors the $25,000-system is attractive to unskilled employees, and also to the non-legal side of the courthouse. The necessary transcript production that would be entailed attracts unskilled transcribers who are not familiar with legal procedures and proceedings in the varying court settings (criminal, civil, medical malpractice, juvenile, probate, etc.) Now add the benefits of the recorder monitor. This money savings has always been debateable in that verification of the figures have not to this point been forthcoming. It can cost as much or more for the transcript when all is said and done.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: What does the DAR operator/reporter produce? A transcript of the proceedings.
CONCERNED REPORTERS: The DAR operator produces what appears to be a transcript of the proceedings with many inaudibles and speech that is indiscernible, and speakers who are unidentified or wrongly identified.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: I ask you to think of all the records you have taken and how many have you prepared a certified transcript of? The average percentage of cases that attorneys and courts need a certified transcript is 5%.
CONCERNED REPORTERS: What is the reference source for the average of only 5% of the cases being transcribed? Is there a study showing that attorneys and courts need certified transcripts in only 5% of their cases? But when they do require a certified transcript, they receive a hodgepodge of inaudibles and indecipherables back from the recorder. And when you have only a recording for your record, if the inevitable crucial moment of testimony has a sound obliterating it by a cough/sneeze/paper rustling/door creaking/chair squeaking/speakers talking over each other … then the litigants’ opportunity for an accurate transcript of that testimony has come and gone; a live reporter has immediate control and could request the testimony be restated. Regardless of the percent of proceedings that is transcribed, should we be willing to allow the litigants to suffer through the problems associated with poor transcripts (new trials, lost witnesses, memory of events slip away with time, increased cost for the attorneys, and the strained county budgets for administrative overhead)? Most attorneys still request a paper transcript - in addition to their digitized format - and most appellate courts still require a paper transcript to be filed on appeal.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: The dominant trend in court technology discussions today is "paper on demand." The courts remain responsible for ensuring that a complete record exists electronically. A complete record consists of the entire case record, not just the paper or electronic transcript and/or notes. If anyone wants a paper copy of any electronic document, they, and not the court, will have to pay for it.
CONCERNED REPORTERS: That is what is available from a realtime court reporter, still being paid for by the party who wants the copy.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: Digital technology is here to stay because it encompasses all facets of the court record. Attend any court technology, court management or judicial conference and you will be amazed at the number of vendors marketing their products to the courts. The vendors are focused on efficiency (cost and operational), digital, paperless, and easy and quick access.
CONCERNED REPORTERS: Then why isn’t NCRA there in vast numbers to outshine and outnumber these other vendors? Why isn’t NCRA representing their court-reporting membership to the fullest?

SUE LYNN MORGAN: For machine reporters to continue to exist, we're going to have to reinvent ourselves and admit there is more than one way to make and produce a record. We have to be willing to work side by side with other methods. Because if we don't, that market, digital recording, and their association will continue to grow and will take over and become the authority on judicial record making. This isn't about dollars, this is about surviving.
CONCERNED REPORTERS: Doesn’t sound like surviving, but instead calling it quits.

SUE LYNN MORGAN: Our current business model is one based on membership, certification and education. Our membership is declining. Our revenue is declining. If we continue with this model, there will come a time when NCRA can no longer function. If the membership wants us to continue along this same path we've been on for the last 110 years, then start counting the years until we close the doors.
CONCERNED REPORTERS: How about NCRA giving some examples of realtime reporters giving immediate transcripts, printing out immediate copy?

How about a positive response to this?
How about that same education for the non-legal side of things?
How about highlighting immediate readback from a reporter for the judge or litigants in a hearing or trial?
How about highlighting what’s really happened in New Mexico; Dallas and Bryan, Texas; Kentucky; etc., on obtaining quality, accurate transcripts, and whether those who have gone there before with ER … have come back to live reporters?

SUE LYNN MORGAN: If you want to be a member of a thriving association, one that is driving the technology for making the record, then support your Board of Directors. A board composed of innovative thinkers, who are not afraid to move NCRA forward into a digital environment where every method is held to a professional set of standards.
CONCERNED REPORTERS: We need fresh faces and new ideas to shine the light on realtime in the courtroom, showing what is possible with a stenotype reporter, rather than jumping into the biggest, divisive professional conflict of interest our reporting world has ever seen.

Your Opinion Always Counts

2009-04-29T13:04:00.006-05:00

Let your elected leadership know what you think. This is about the future of your profession and your Association. Simply answer the two questions in the surveys to the right of this posting and you will be heard.

It's Time to Turn NCRA Around

2009-04-28T22:38:00.018-05:00

The following is an open letter to stenographic method Court Reporters from a grassroots group of nationwide NCRA members.

Dear Fellow Reporters:

The Members’ Motion to Rescind Board Action 08-11-13 will be presented to the NCRA Executive Director and Board of Directors to be voted on by membership at the annual business meeting at the NCRA Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., this summer.

By voting to rescind Board Action 08-11-13, we hope to prevent the NCRA Board of Directors, Executive Director and staff from further spending association money and resources on the exploration and/or development of testing/certification of non-stenographic methods of making the record.

This motion is set forth pursuant to:
NCRA Constitution & Bylaws, Article IX, Section 5

<http://motiontorescind.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/article-ix-section-5.pdf>

Ways you can help:

1. Below is a link to a .pdf version of the official motion with a spot for ten signatures. Please distribute this motion for signature to fellow NCRA members in your area. We need your support!

<http://motiontorescind.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/motion-to-rescind-with-signatures2.pdf>

Please download, print, and mail (with signatures!) to:

Members’ Motion to Rescind
P.O. BOX 3576
Federal Way, WA 98063-3576

Please have your signed motion mailed by June 1, 2009, so they can be included with the official motion presented to Executive Director Mark Golden and the NCRA Board of Directors.

2. You may also become a signatory by sending an e-mail to motiontorescind@gmail.com stating that you are in support of the Motion to Rescind NCRA BoD Motion 08-11-13. Please include your name, city, and NCRA certifications (if any) .

3. We need your vote! You must be present in person to vote on this motion. Please spread the word that, in order to make a real difference here, we need supporters of this motion to attend the annual business meeting, Thursday, August 6, 2009, at the annual convention in Washington, D.C. You do not need to register for the convention to attend the business meeting.

We need volunteers to speak in support of this motion at the business meeting, and most of all WE NEED YOUR VOTE! We need 2/3 of the voting members present to vote in favor of this motion for it to pass.

Let your voice be heard!

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

2009-04-19T00:10:00.000-05:00

By Ryder P. Moses

NCRA dues-paying members are living out the sad tale of the frog being placed in a pan of cold water on the stove. The heat is turned up so gradually that he doesn't notice it beginning to boil and ultimately bringing about his demise.

We have a triple-threat: the NCRA Executive Director, staff and Board --our leaders -- who want to turn away from the constitued reason for being: stenographic reporters. The new paradigm? Bring all into the big NCRA tent and let them bring cash. But at what price glory? This has all been done very slowly and very deliberately. We've recently learned of their meeting this summer with the ER and DAM (digital audio machine) operators, with NCRA seeking to train, educate and certify them.

The members are told our association is working for US, the steno writers. We are the association. At the same time, non-steno ER/DAM (digital audio machine) operators are being openly courted with enticing offers to train and certify. It doesn't take a genus to see the logic of if you train and certify, that the offer of membership would not be far behind to complete the financial triangle. The stated reason for the "Inter-Industry Summit" this summer is to talk and exchange information. The true reason for a meeting such as this is to solidify positions of a predetermined agenda: Get the Money.

An attempt to spin the issue comes from the NCRA's April 2009 issue of Tech Tracker:

"If a court administrator or other decision maker proposes digital audio recording, the best argument for keeping court reporter jobs does not revolve around the shortcomings of digital audio recording systems. Instead, focus on the additional value that court reporters provide. Also, remind decision makers that court reporters want to be a part of the bigger solution to the problem. Showing willingness to be a team player means it is much more likely that court reporters will have input into final solutions."

In the Journal and other reports, they lead us to believe they're working against ER/DAM, (digital audio machines) in an attempt to quiet the membership. Then the membership will not notice that they're gradually turning up the heat by making comments like: We must certify our competition to be on equal footing. But because of the disparate pay rates of the two occupations, it's not equal footing at all. Can you see our future? Courts and states will have additional insentive to justify the budget cuts and remove NCRA SRMs (stenographic reporter members) and replace them with NCRA certified ER/DAM (digital audio machine) operators. Why? Because they are now officially "certified" and being educated by our association. Think about it, you could be replaced by some /DAM NCRA-certified operator because you are too smart, too experienced and too expensive.

And of course, we all know that we wouldn't even be talking to ER people if there wasn't a long-term plan in place to eventually get further revenue from a new source. It is difficult to watch many of my friends and coworkers booted out of their courts by ER. It will also be difficult to justify staying in a job when salaries plunge to the rate of ER low-wage workers. Why is it worth going forward if the staff at NCRA continually try to put in place something the membership continually votes against? So many questions, so few honest answers.

Putting the Association on the Rocks?

2009-04-07T22:17:00.018-05:00

I was completely flummoxed to learn that NCRA headquarters staff, executive director, and board propose to design and administer certification tests and provide continuing education for those technologies we have been fighting against to save our jobs, such as the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers, the digital audio recording operators, and several others. The board and headquarters staff have planned an Inter-Industry Summit to meet with those associations this summer to explore working with them as a way of raising revenue.

I wrote the NCRA president and NCRA board, expressing my alarm that they would even consider certifying them and educating them, thereby giving ER operators credibility in their effort to replace us. In the past, court officials have been replaced by them because they were cheaper technologies with much lower salaries. Our only argument left was that we were better trained and certified and did the better job. We can no longer argue that fact as an association when our own association begins training and certifying them in the same way we are, giving them NCRA-stamped credibility. The NCRA president responded to my e-mail in part as follows:

"Even the Israelis and Palestinians sometimes sit down to talk. Surely those who make a record with their voices or with digital audio are not our enemies. Competitors? Yes, sometimes. But my competitor is also the court reporting firm down the street and the remote CART provider halfway across the country. I provide the best service I can, with highly developed skill and professionalism. Then my client chooses which of us to use. Meanwhile, those other reporters and CART providers are not my enemy. We talk all the time, and often learn from one another. As I have said in the past, it gripes me that people who ostensibly do the same job we do, who collect the same pay we do, are not held to the same standards. That is not fair. We all should be taking the same tests, and that testing is what NCRA is exploring."

What a ludicrous comparison. That would mean, in our case, the Israeli government completely ignores the safety of their own troops and organizes training camps for the Palestinians. They train the Palestinians on how to aim and fire their missiles. They certify their pilots. They educate them on the various bombs and techniques to use them in an effective and deadly way. Oh, and they charge the Palestinians money for coming to that training camp, so they can no longer speak out against the wrongs of the Palestinians to other governments, because they're lining their own pockets with Palestinian money. Then ultimately the nation of Israel is destroyed by the Palestinians…thanks to its own government and leaders who began training the Palestinians, educating them, and giving them a stamp of approval.

For court officials, it's not a matter of working side-by-side with a competitor, and the better realtime reporter wins. ER/DAR is NOT trying to compete skillwise-the companies selling that technology know the bottom line for states and counties often comes down to budgets, regardless of how the judges and lawyers feel about the poor-quality records, and that states are willing to get rid of our better skills simply to hire ER/DAR operators at a very, very low salary rate.

What's also not mentioned by the NCRA president is that the ER operators also SEVERELY cuts the salaries of those not replaced, simply with the threat overhead of being able to replace us with cheaper, easily-trained ER operators, having ZERO to do with skill and realtime skills or certifications. They come in the courthouses at significantly lower rates than salaried court reporters, and for states looking to cut budgets significantly, the court reporters are completely replaced. It spreads like a wildfire. Do you agree to work at a severely-reduced salary and run the ER equipment or do you get kicked to the curb without a job? It has nothing to do with "competitors" when the bottom line of educating and certifying ER/DAR operators involves the future of replacing steno reporters completely and lowering salaries for those of us remaining.

Here's the bottom line for our association, what the NCRA president wrote me. This is the reason for what is happening with the board and headquarters:

"It also puts much-needed revenue in NCRA's coffers without the necessity of returning to our members time after time with our hand out for increased dues."

The bottom line is they want to raise additional revenue…even at the expense of those who are our association, the steno reporters.

Instead of supporting those who seek to take over our jobs, and instead of increasing dues, let the members vote on the services and staff they want to do away with. Let members drive the budget, not the executive director and headquarters staff. As one example, put the Journal online only, saving thousands a year in printing costs, mailing costs, the cost of the paper and ink to print it. Do away with any columns in the Journal we pay for. This is only one example, but members would rather cut services and headquarter staff over funding and training those seeking to completely replace us. Perhaps the NCRA executive director thinks we'll eventually get replaced by ER anyway, and perhaps he's right, but why speed the process and pay to help them do so?

It's baffling to even consider such a thing of training and educating and certifying ER operators and digital recording operators, and I can't see any rhyme or reason to it. It's as if the association for I.T. workers in the U.S. suddenly find their headquarters staff using their association dues money to train and certify the I.T. workers in India to replace them. It's crazy that they would even consider such a thing.

We all certainly know it's not the members behind this. The members of our association have consistently over and over again voted down efforts to expand our association beyond the steno writers. But sadly, the members aren't listened to, which is so puzzling. It's as if we have no voice, only an occasional vote. And instead of listening to our vote and steering our association in the direction we've voted, the NCRA staff and board seem to focus on this issue harder than ever. As soon as our vote is taken to not include anyone in our association other than steno writers, the executive director, board and staff are back at it harder than ever to try to do what we don't want to do.

Their decision on which way to steer our ship is strictly revenue-driven, and instead of letting the members vote and decide what cuts in services and staff they want to make to gain more revenue, the triple threat of the board, executive directors and headquarters staff are now steadily steering our ship straight towards the gigantic iceberg we members see only the tiny tip of. If we continue going forward in the direction we have allowed them to steer us…we are sunk.

- Terri Boling

Building a Fool's Paradise with Fool's Gold?

2009-04-07T21:03:00.012-05:00

The rumor stops here. Notes taken at the last NCRA Board Meeting were forwarded to concernedreporters at the same time they were sent to TCRA members. Read and judge for yourself the future plans of NCRA.

Dear TCRA Members:

NCRA's board meeting was held on February 20 through 21, 2009, and we were there as TCRA representatives and participating members of NCRA. The full NCRA Board Meeting Agenda is attached; however, there's one pivotal issue that we would like to bring to your attention.

The staff at NCRA conducted a self-study that concluded that NCRA could gain financial strength through certification of “non-dues” industries, such as digital audio recording transcriptionists, medical transcriptionists, National Verbatim Reporters Association, and the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers, among others.

NCRA is proposing to design and administer certification tests and provide continuing education to the abovementioned industries. The challenges that NCRA envisions in testing these industries includes cultural bias from NCRA’s membership, not comporting with State tests, putting the current NCRA membership at risk, and resistance from NCRA members and State organizations. NCRA is proposing an “Inter-Industry Summit” with the stakeholders and/or industries listed above.

The summit will be held prior to the NCRA annual convention at a neutral location due to “historical animosity” from NCRA members. The NCRA Board voted unanimously to proceed with the “Inter-Industry Summit.” The deadline for this project is 2009.

It is our fear that if NCRA’s study comes to fruition, NCRA will no longer represent just the stenograph reporters, and in essence will be lending credibility to the electronic and digital recording use in the judicial system, as well as in all aspects of court reporting. NCRA is conducting this study in the hopes to gain financial stability by testing, certifying and offering CEUs to court recorders. However, it is our belief that they will be ultimately validating an inferior product and training these court recorders to potentially replace all machine shorthand reporters.

If you have any concerns, contact your NCRA Board of Directors at ncraboard@ncrahq.org.

Sincerely, Jo Anne Leger Karen Morris

The following outline is generated from handwritten notes originally taken by Karen Morris as an attending participating member of NCRA and as a representative of TCRA, at the NCRA Board of Directors meeting held on February 20, 2009, at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, McLean, Virginia:

No. 3 – Membership: Testing and Certification of Non-Members (strategic Dialogue) – (Deadline for this project: 2009) NCRA’s staff conducted a self-study that concluded that NCRA could gain financial strength through certification of “non-dues” industries. (“non-dues” means nonreporters.) The study proposed the following:

1. Certification will bring financial gain to NCRA.
2. Certification and inclusion of non-dues industries will increase revenue.
3. Find ways to sell key marketing to this larger group. This would allow making working relationships and elevating educational standards with the following groups that make up the non-dues industries:
a. DAR – Digital Audio Recording and Transcriptionists.
b. ER- Electronic Recording.
c. Expand certifications for Certified Legal Video Specialists to non-judicial.
d. NVRA – National Verbatim Reporters Association.
e. AAERT-American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers.
f. AHDI- Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity.

The study also proposed that NCRA design, provide the tests, and give CEUs to the above-mentioned groups. Listed challenges to test the non-dues industries are:

1. Cultural bias from NCRA’s membership.
2. Goes against state tests.
3. Puts membership at risk.
4. Resistance from members and state organizations.

PROPOSAL: Have an Inter-Industry Summit meeting with all of these groups away from the annual convention, to try to divert attention from NCRA members and people objecting, due to the historical animosity. This summit will be at a neutral location with these key groups and NCRA attending. NCRA wants to know the following:

1. If testing these non-reporters would be profitable.
2. Who their competitors are.
3. Predetermine the attitude of the NCRA members to this idea.
4. Does NCRA board have resolve to stand tough to this solution?

OUTCOME: The entire board voted to proceed with the Inter-Industry Summit. Deadline of this project: 2009.

The Promise of a New Day

2008-08-07T09:53:00.020-05:00

All who were present in Anaheim have praised President Yates’ speech as a call to action from the membership. Read the entire text of her speech by clicking on the link below:

http://ncraonline.org/AboutNCRA/president/default.htm

What we can accomplish individually is magnified in our association work, both state and national by implementing the idea of "I may make a difference."

You can make a difference by supporting local and state government candidates who are friends of Court Reporting.

You can make a difference by joining other reporters and volunteering to work in local, state and national associations.

You can make a difference by enhancing your education and skills.

You can make a difference by letting your voice be heard.

Individually we do not have the resources - both time and money - to tackle all of the problems facing reporters today. In her speech, President Yates said, "This is a new day in NCRA, an exciting time for our profession. We have repairs to make. This is our home, and we need every one of us to put it in order so that NCRA can go from better to best."

Join Us

2008-07-31T23:49:00.008-05:00

Whether you agree or disagree with what you read and hear on ConcernedReporters.com, join us for the even-handed discourse provided here. There are many issues CONFRONTING professional court reporters that must be faced. And although we may disagree from time to time, that doesn't mean we won't be united in our common cause.

Much has been accomplished in the past 12 months. Together we can make a difference if we all believe "I May Make a Difference."

Interact with us. Give us the benefit of your knowledge, your experience and your suggestions. Now let's find some solutions!

Contested Election Winner Sonntag

2008-07-25T14:04:00.001-05:00

EXTRA!

ELECTION NEWS -

NCRA Board member, Melanie Humphrey-Sonntag won the contested election position for NCRA Vice President at the NCRA annual convention in Anaheim, California earlier Thursday, July 24th.

Contested Election Winner Smith

2008-07-25T02:14:00.004-05:00

EXTRA!

ELECTION NEWS

Tami Smith was elected to the NCRA Board of Directors in a contested election. Ms. Smith won her position at the NCRA annual convention in Anaheim, California earlier Thursday, July 24th.

Your Voice - Your Choice

2008-07-21T14:20:00.005-05:00

We Have Liftoff!

2008-07-17T15:19:00.012-05:00

Sharing the historical day with the launch of Apollo 11, on July 16, 1969, ConcernedReporters.com launched their Candidates' Forum Podcast from Dallas, Texas. Board of Directors candidates Tami Smith and Donna Collins along with Vice President candidates Melanie Humphrey-Sonntag and Jason Meaders addressed some of the issues facing the National Court Reporters Association.

To listen to the podcast, go to the Media Page and click on the picture of the microphone. Listen, and then Decide.

Listen, Then Decide

2008-07-10T23:13:00.042-05:00

"It is the province of knowledge to speak And it is the privilege of wisdom to listen. "

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

STAY TUNED! As soon as the reporters complete the NCRA chats on the 14th and 15th they will catch their collective breaths and relax. THEN they record their live, unedited podcasts on Wednesday, July 16, 2008. Go to the ConcernedReporters.com Media Page and listen for yourself as they answer questions and give their opinions in their own voices. Listen, then Decide. For your convenience, we have given a brief resume' for each candidate and have hyperlinked their website. Just click on the hyperlink and be directed to their full resume'.

DONNA COLLINS - Donna Collins has been a court reporter since 1973 and a Dallas firm owner since 1981. On the local level she was president of the Dallas Court Reporters Association in 1988 and was awarded their Distinguished Service Award. On the State level, she is the only person to receive the Distinguished Service Award and the Hall of Fame on the same day. She was the TCRA CART Foundation’s founding president in 1999. She also served as president of TCRA in 1998-1999. Nationally she has served on numerous committees, including the CART Community of Interest, the Future Group, Strategic Planning Committee, the Nominating Committee and the NCRF Angel Committee. Visit http://www.donnacollins.org/ for Donna's full resume'.

TAMI SMITH - Tami Smith is an official reporter from Michigan. She is certified as a Michigan CSR, and holds the RPR and CPE. She has served on many committees and officer positions for the Michigan Association, including President. In 2007 she was the recipient of the MAPCR Distinguished Service Award. She served as a director for NCRA from 2004 to 2007 where she worked on numerous committees and task forces. She was the chair of the task force that first investigated the feasibility of direct member voting while also serving as the board liaison to the Constitution and Bylaws Committee during her entire tenure on the board. Visit http://www.tamismith.org/ for Tami's full resume'.

MELANIE HUMPHREY-SONNTAG - Melanie Humphrey-Sonntag has been a continuous NCRA member for nearly 30 years. She's an RDR, CRR, and National Speed Contest medalist. Her selection as a Fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters in 2001 is a testament to her professional contributions through writing articles, years of service on local and national committees and task forces, and mentoring new reporters. She is a firm owner and freelance reporter in suburban Chicago and has presented seminars to reporters, students, administrators, and vendors throughout the country since 1993. Visit http://www.sonntagreporting.com/ for Melanie's full resume'.

JASON MEADORS - Jason owns a freelance firm in Fort Collins, Colorado, with a satellite office in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He's been a court reporter for over twenty-six years and currently serves NCRA as a Director. He's been President of his Colorado association twice and is a Past President of the StenoCAT Users Network. He's written a number of articles for the JCR, the most popular of which was "Faster and Faster," an open letter to attorneys. As a result of his leadership in court reporter associations since 1982, he's been on a host of committees, has authored legislative papers, and has testified in defense of his fellow reporters. Jason is a former Marine, and has been married to his high school sweetheart, Sherri, for 34 years. They have three children and four grandchildren. Visit http://www.jasonforvp.com/ for Jason's full resume'.

Our Ms. Brooks

2008-06-29T23:45:00.008-05:00

It is with great sadness that I report to you that our beloved Lynn Brooks passed away on Saturday, June 28, 2008.

A memorial service for Lynn will be held at the DeSoto Presbyterian Church on Saturday, July 12, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. The DeSoto Presbyterian Church is located at 212 West Pleasant Run Road, DeSoto, Texas.

Tragedy is a life unfulfilled, cut short before its time. So it was with Lynn Ann Brooks, born January 25, 1946, to William D. and Frances L. Brooks, and died June 28, 2008, of lung cancer.

Lynn attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis for three years before moving to Dallas in 1967. Lynn was a graduate of Professional Court Reporting School in Richardson, Texas (1973), at which time she began the start of a long and distinguished career as a court reporter in Dallas. Lynn worked as a freelance court reporter for the firms of Associated Reporters, Brooks Simmons Federal Court Reporters, Stanley Harris Rice & Associates, Brooks & Walding, Dickman Davenport, and then concluded her career as Brooks Reporting Group. Because of her vast knowledge of the English language and grammar and punctuation rules, Lynn mentored many of her younger colleagues in each of the court reporting firms in which she worked.

Lynn was an active member of the Dallas, the Texas, and the National Court Reporters Association. She served tirelessly on numerous committees at the local, state, and national levels and was a frequent presenter of continuing education seminars and workshops.

Because of Lynn's selfless devotion to her colleagues and to the court reporting profession, she was recognized by her peers with many honors, not the least of which was the coveted distinction of Fellow of the National Court Reporters Association. She was named by the Dallas Bar Association as the Pro Bono Court Reporter of the Year in 1999. She was twice named to Who's Who in Business Executives and Professionals. She was also twice named as a delegate to the Intersteno Congress: first to Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1979, and then to Istanbul, Turkey, in 1993.

Lynn was a book review editor for the National Association's Journal of Court Reporting for nearly two decades. In addition to her monthly book review, Lynn contributed over 20 articles to the Journal. At the state association level, Lynn served as an editorial consultant to The Texas Record, the publication of the Texas Court Reporters Association. Among other local association activities, Lynn served as a columnist and then as the editor of The Scrivener, the publication of the Dallas Court Reporters Association which recognized her as outstanding editor in 2000.

Apart from her court reporting activities, Lynn was a much loved member of the DeSoto Presbyterian Church. She was a lifetime member of Intertel, a fraternal organization whose members have an IQ in the top 1% of the population. She also enjoyed quilting in her spare time.

Lynn was preceded in death by her mother and is survived by her father William, her sister Kathryn Carlson and her husband Ron; by nephew Christopher Carlson and wife Traci and their children Owen and Sonju; by nephew Ben Carlson and wife Krista and their children Garrett and Mason; and by one niece, Johanna Carlson.

A memorial service will be held at DeSoto Presbyterian Church, 212 West Pleasant Run Road, DeSoto, Texas, on July 12, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the church's emergency fund.

Lynn - - gone from our midst but not from our hearts. Her legacy will long be remembered.

2008-06-24T13:31:00.003-05:00

Have you been wondering about where NCRA, our association, is going? And how it’s getting there? I know several members have been wondering, and I have been, too. I would hope we all recognize the need to change, to adjust to a changing environment. How change comes about and what it results in are very important.

Over the past several years, NCRA has endeavored to evolve with changing times. There have been several efforts, through task forces, committees, study groups and the like, to keep pace with a changing environment.

One of the reasons for these activities is the decline in student enrollment, which began in the mid-nineties, and has been precipitous. This naturally resulted in a steep downturn in student members, and the concomitant loss of revenue to NCRA. The efforts to obtain Federal funding for schools to help meet the captioning mandate have been successful. But still the student enrollment has not grown significantly.

With the actual number of members decreasing, and student membership declining, the result is fewer dollars in the coffers. All this, while there is growing demand for programs and services from NCRA to meet the needs of the members in the captioning sector, and the needs of the reporter members to address the declining demand in the courts and private sector.

Over the past several years, there have been numerous efforts to rebuild or remake NCRA. Some of these efforts were: Blue Ribbon Commission On Voice Technology (full disclosure: I chaired the Commission); Futures Task Force; Building Community Task Force; Part-Time Professionalism Task Force; ROSE Project, which stood for resources, opportunities and services evaluation; SONAR (State Of The Nation Activities Report); Membership Offer and Value Proposition; ER Task Force, and now Blue Ocean.

According to the JCR, "…a Blue Ocean Strategy seeks to altogether redefine the market it is serving by emphasizing the simultaneous pursuit of superior value and lower cost. Conceptually, the emphasis is on creating new market space (blue ocean) rather than competing in the current market space (red ocean)." Interesting concept, but I’m wondering just what it means, and how it has been, or will be, implemented. And at what cost.

And I’m wondering just what has been the result of the aforementioned task forces, committees, etc. Student enrollment and membership continue to decline.

NCRA has been dealing with the ER issue for more years than most of its members have been alive. It has information on costs of ER; failures of ER; how to deal with the introduction of ER in your court system; the weaknesses of ER; and strategies for combating ER. I’m wondering how to reconcile the conflict between these activities and the President of NCRA advocating for the inclusion of all methods of making the record, including ER operators and transcribers. And I’m wondering how to reconcile that advocacy with the NCRA goal to serve its "core membership." And I’m wondering why ER operators and transcribers would want to join an organization that has been such a strong and vocal critic of the methodology for so long.

And I am wondering, since all of these projects, task forces, and committees cost money and time, whether they really have been fruitful. And if not, I’m wondering if it’s time for new direction and new thinking in NCRA. The strategies of the past few years haven’t significantly boosted school enrollment, nor slowed the decline in membership.

I’m wondering, and hoping, that new leadership in NCRA will bring about the results we need.

John J. Prout, CCR-RPR, FAPR
NCRA Past President

And The Beat Goes On . . .

2008-06-24T10:06:00.003-05:00

Well, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to attend the NCRA midyear in Boston; the Blue Man Group was outstanding, I’m sure. I just love their music. When I first listened to it, I paid little attention to the words in their songs. What great rhythm, what unique sound! No way I could stand still; I had to get up and move and shout with them! This was a group that pulled you into activity with them - talk about getting your heart rate up! Hey!

Their music is even better when you’ve had a long, hard day in the courtroom. During the drive home, you can slide in a CD, turn up the bass, and let the drums beat out all that tension. I partake of this practice on a regular basis, and I certainly did so during the 2007 Texas legislative session.

After the NCRA annual convention in Grapevine, during one such drive home from work, I thought, wait, what were those words again? Hmmm, the lyrics are suddenly hitting a chord with me. Oh, my gosh, they strike a nerve when thinking about the new philosophy that NCRA is working on promoting with the membership! Have you noticed?

It’s the Sing-Along song, and here’s how it fits:

NCRA represents our national leadership.
"If I sing a song, will you sing along?"

If I disagree with NCRA’s direction, what now?
"If I sing a song, will you sing along, or should I just keep singing right here by myself?"

When NCRA tells me their goals are the way to go, do they really believe that…
"If I tell you I’m strong, will you play along?"
"If I tell you I’m strong, will you play along, or will you see I’m as insecure as anybody else?"

By deciding to support NCRA leadership in their goals…
"If I follow along, does it mean I belong?"

By deciding to oppose NCRA leadership…
"If I follow along, does it mean I belong, or will I keep on feeling different from everybody else?"

I’ve made my decision that NCRA is headed in the wrong direction. What’s your decision?

"If I sing a song, will you sing along? If I sing a song, will you sing along? Or should I just keep singing right here by myself?"

-- Marigay Black

A Work of Art - Parts 1 and 2

2008-05-22T20:31:00.008-05:00

Part 1. William C. Scott has developed software which uses EEG biofeedback to produce fractal images. The image above is a product of BrainPaint. The image is produced by the patient's brain waves during biofeedback exercises.

Part 2. The work of art all Reporters produce every day. The following is from the deposition of a neuropsychologist:

A. May I give an example of this?

Q. Sure.

A. Okay. If you look -- and the example is this. Our brains are a miracle. Okay. They're a miracle that needs to be protected. And if you look at the court reporter right now, as an example, okay, this is a miracle in progress happening right before your eyes.

Let me just explain what she needs to do. I am speaking, so the information has to come in through her ear into her temporal lobe, and it has to go log itself into the language center. She has to be able to comprehend what I'm saying. Then it has to get rerouted to the prefrontal cortex where it has to hold -- she has to be able to hold the information, because, you know, I continuously talk so she has to hold it, right? Then she has to analyze it, integrate it and synthesize it. Then it has to go back to the cerebellum and she has to be able to execute this, and she has to be able to then convert my words into those little squiggly marks. Have you ever seen court reporters have little squiggly language things? So she has to convert it into a different language, and the white matter tracks allows her to reroute all of this information simultaneously without effort.

We take our brains for granted. She's sitting here. I'm probably talking too fast for her, but she's able to do this simultaneously. Seamlessly.

No animal on the planet can do this. All right. That's why I believe court reporters will never be replaced. Because no technical -- no technology could replace the beauty of that brain and the miracle of that brain. And that's why your brain should always be protected and you should take care of it.

NCRA Board Think?

2008-05-05T22:04:00.009-05:00

Boards such as NCRA tend to start thinking as a group, but the Boards of Tyco and Enron learned a valuable lesson. According to an article by James Surowiecki in The New Yorker called Board Stiffs, Boards of Directors tend to "defer to company executives" - in our case CEO and executive committee "instead of challenging them."

Our CEO and Executive Committee have "discouraged debate and disagreement instead of cultivating it." Our NCRA board has begun "valuing unity over truth. At Enron, for instance nearly every board vote was unanimous. The directors had forgotten, apparently, that they had the power to say no."

They have fallen into a pattern of group think. "They listen mainly to each other, and they emphasize the need for consensus."

"As a result the more that people in this kind of group talk, the more sure they become that they’re right. The problem is compounded by the way that CEOs tend to dictate boardroom discussions."

Our board may have "forgotten, apparently, that they had the power to say no," and may have forgotten to listen to their members.

"Individual directors have to voice their grievances, and they need to draw on external sources of information, rather than simply lapping up what management feeds them."

Judy Hobart

The Voice of Concerned Reporters

2008-03-05T21:44:00.003-06:00

There are many variations to the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words." It has been attributed to everyone from Confucius to Napoleon Bonaparte ("Un bon croquis vaut mieux qu'un long discours," or "A good sketch is better than a long speech.) So to that end, we apply our own variation to the old saw: "A single word may change a thousand opinions."

ConcernedReporters.com introduces The Media Page. Click the link at the top of the right sidebar and you will be redirected to The Media Page. There you will find the PodBlog, audio and video Podcasts that can be played or saved by clicking on the Podcaster's image.

Why do we have The Media Page? Information. The exchange of information by postings and comments on the blog is a good thing. But it is also important to have people talking, voicing their opinions and thoughts on issues confronting Court Reporters. TheMedia Page will not be just our voices, but also Reporters in debate along with opinion pieces from Reporters throughout the United States. Are you concerned about membership changes in the Association? You're not alone. Come to concernedreporters.com to voice your opinion and let it be heard.

We look forward to your comments and who knows, you may be asked to be a voice for ConcernedReporters.

What You See is What You Get

2008-01-29T13:27:00.000-06:00

ENN, Ireland's IT Newswire
Legal eagles go digital with Fujitsu24-01-2008
by Charlie Taylor

The Irish Courts Service is set to roll out a new Digital Audio Recording system which will record proceedings in courtrooms nationwide.

Fujitsu has been awarded the contract for the delivery and management of the new system in a deal valued in excess of EUR16 million.

Under the new contract, the company will provide a fully managed service including the provision of the recording system, a secure data storage environment, and the subsequent production and delivery of court transcripts as required.

Initial implementation of the system will be on a pilot basis in a small number of courtrooms starting in March. The pilot will be followed by an extensive implementation programme which will see the rollout of the system to all courtrooms around the country.

On completion, proceedings in all courtrooms will be recorded providing an accurate record of evidence, which can then be accessed for the preparation of transcripts or for playback within the courtroom or elsewhere.

"Digital Audio Recording will replace the existing stenography system which has been in place for many years," said PJ Fitzpatrick, chief executive officer, Courts Service. (1)

"The courts are not immune to developments in technology generally and this new system, based as it is on digital technology, will provide judges with increased levels of support within the courtroom and is a further step in our overall change modernisation programme," he added.

As part of the new contract, Fujitsu will be providing an 'on request' transcript service. On receipt of a request for a transcript of all or part of the proceedings in a case, the Digital Audio file will be accessed automatically, via a secure private network, by Merrill Legal, who will undertake the transcription and deliver the transcribed material.(2)

"The ambitious Digital Audio Recording programme is testimony to the progressive nature of the Courts Service team and their ICT strategy. There is no doubt that the system and processes that will be put in place here will be among the most advanced in the world," said Regina Moran, CEO of Fujitsu.

A Self-fulfilling Prophecy?

(Kathy DiLorenzo, Friday, August 10, 2007, NCRA Opening Session at the Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, Texas)

(1) "My esteemed colleagues, fast forward to 2007 and the current state of court reporting. I can report to you today that voicewriting and electronic recording are no longer a threat to our profession. They are, in fact, a reality.

(2) "Vendors of digital recording systems are making their way into the freelance arena. They're starting in the areas where there is a reporter shortage, gaining acceptance from the legal community, then moving into the larger cities. Who are the folks that will operate this recorder? Will they be unqualified, uncertified workers? If there are no standards, no certifying body, that is certain to happen."

Will the Membership Speak?

2008-01-28T20:45:00.000-06:00

From the Home page, National Court Reporters Association:

Sign Up To Vote Next Summer. At the 2007 Annual Business Meeting, NCRA members approved a bylaws amendment to permit voting by all eligible voting members who are unable to attend future NCRA business meetings. If there are bylaws amendments or a contested election in 2008, we will put the new system into effect.

Members who are eligible to vote but not in attendance will be able to sign on to a secure Web site, review the transcript and video feed of the meeting, and vote through a private, secure link during a 12-hour voting period. Results will be verified by a third party.

To make sure NCRA has your current e-mail address, update your NCRA account anytime on the NCRA Web site or contact the Member Services and Information Center at 800-272-6272. You will need to sign in and click on the "View/Edit Member Information" link in the lefthand column.

"People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote - a very different thing.”

-- Walter H. Judd

On One Hand We Have . . .

2008-01-17T11:22:00.000-06:00

(From NCRA Tech Tracker - January 2008)

A recent American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT) article compared what AAERT describes as E-reporters to court reporters. Using many NCRA resources (the JCR, NCRA Web site, etc.), the article describes NCRA’s "stepped-up" campaign against electronic recording (ER). Citing NCRA's retention of a marketing consultant to dissuade courts from utilizing ER, AAERT attempts to paint NCRA in a poor light.(1) AAERT claims that NCRA has hired a marketing consultant, launched a program to help reporters market themselves to decision-makers, and encouraged NCRA members to serve on committees — all in an effort to promote the stenographic method.

Thank you, AAERT! Indeed NCRA has done all of this, and more, in an attempt to highlight the professional attributes and value that a stenographic reporter brings to a courtroom and deposition setting. Articles such as these stemming from AAERT solidify NCRA's message and demonstrates that our endeavors to promote our members is working. NCRA members are active, passionate, and vocal about the profession for which they care so deeply. What association would not want that? So again, thank you AAERT for proving to the 23,000 NCRA members that their association shall continue to work for, and advocate on behalf of, the pinnacle method of reporting, stenographic reporting.(2) For we truly are the Guardians of the Record.

But, on the other hand, we still have . . .

(Kathy DiLorenzo, Friday, August 10, 2007, NCRA Opening Session at the Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, Texas)

(1) "Just for a moment, consider this scenario: Consider an Association that includes all speech-to-text providers, such as steno reporters, voicewriters, electronic reporting operators, videographers, scopists, transcriptionists, programmers, language translation experts, speech recognition experts, and hardware and software vendors of all methods and all supporting technology."

(2) "You've all got a picture in your mind right now of what an all-inclusive Association can look like. Now allow your mind to bring back into focus an Association that entrusts its entire future to the steno machine. Anybody scared? I am."

"A house divided against itself cannot stand. . .I do not expect the house to fall-- but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other."

-- Abraham Lincoln, 1858

Beware of Sharks

2007-12-01T18:28:00.000-06:00

A recent post on the NCRA Forum made the comment that NCRA is "using the Blue Ocean Strategy on us." Since I can't remember ever being asked do I think a Blue Ocean Strategy would be good for NCRA to pursue, this might (might) be something that's been thrust upon us, but the Blue Ocean Strategy is basically a marketing strategy that is to be used by us, directed towards our clients and people in need the services of a court reporter.

I believe the Blue Ocean Strategy is a done deal. NCRA has to have already spent money on consultants to bring us to the point of choosing the Blue Ocean Strategy to try to breathe new life and interest into NCRA ... to save the association. Those are all my own words. But the Blue Ocean Strategy is really not just opening up the book (it's a theory based on an actual book) and saying, oh, let's do this. It takes a lot of time and effort and, of course, money.

Blue Ocean means one thing, and that's change. And not just change, but BIG, HUGE, ALL-ENCOMPASSING, TOP-TO-BOTTOM CHANGE. Blue Ocean means you throw everything about your old way of doing things out the window, and create a totally new company, firm ... or association in this case. The phrase "Blue Ocean" was coined to make you think of standing before a huge expanse of crystal-clear ocean with no ripples in the water ... and no feeding frenzy of sharks turning the water blood red. You see, the opposite of Blue Ocean is Red Ocean, one in which the sharks are in a feeding frenzy (for work) and are turning the ocean red with their efforts to stab each other in the back, cut deals, undercut one another, bid lower, pound each other into the ground ... in other words, compete. It's that cutthroat competition that turns that water red. And I don't think there's any question that we're living and working in red water every single day. Perhaps that red tinge started with a look through rose-colored glasses at the questionable business practices that have been steadily growing, and conveniently overlooked, for several years now.

Blue Ocean suggests a person, a firm, an association ... anyone who adopts that theory ... must reinvent what they do so there is absolutely no pressure from competition to turn the water red. They must become unique to the point that there IS no competition. One way to do that would be to look at what you offer, compare that to what your competition offers, then get smarter, get better, get a true specialty, and springboard yourself OUT of that red ocean and into huge expanse of blue water where you own your market and and don't have to worry about crushing your competition because there IS no competition. You're in a class alone, one-of-a-kind, because no one can do what you do quite the way you do it. You get better, narrow your focus, specialize, and walk away with what they call a niche market.

Another way to eliminate your competition ... and the way, I guess, that NCRA believes the court reporting profession can become unique ... is to embrace every form of making the record and put them all under one umbrella so that, indeed, all methods will be represented by one association. Now, that doesn't involve much change in the way individual reporters do what they do, but it does involve HUGE changes in we are perceived by our clients. Ask any marketing expert in the country and they'll tell you it doesn't much matter what we think of ourselves, it's our clients' perception of what we do for them that matters. And part of the Blue Ocean Strategy is to eliminate the competition by changing "us" and "them" to "we."

Perhaps the proponents of the Blue Ocean Strategy for a reinvented court reporting profession believe that machine writers have nothing to fear because they will be at the top of the heap simply because we are machine writers. But we have issues TODAY over whether our national association is representing the interests of every member, and that association has a seemingly very simple mission, which is supposedly to advocate for the superiority of the machine shorthand reporter.

A reporter made a very profound statement on the NCRA Forum about our national assocation, and that was, "We should be able to trust and not have to watch our officers for fear they are not doing everything in their power to make us look the best." And that is profound because in a reinvented association, that association must represent EVERY member, not just steno writers. That new association must advocate for certified members of AAERT, or the reformed-NCRA equivalent for digital recorders and tape transcribers, as well as certified machine court reporters from within the ranks of the former NCRA. And those digital reporters and transcribers are going to be saying the EXACT same thing: "We should be able to trust and not have to watch our officers for fear they are not doing everything in their power to make us look the best!"

Because that's what a national association is supposed to do ... for ALL its members.

In the same thread, there was another issue peripherally mentioned, and it's a question for officials and leaders of any association who also work at a regular day job. This generic question is: Can someone be an official, a leader of an association wearing one hat, but work in a for-profit business wearing another hat, and separate what's important to each endeavor, giving due consideration to each? Remember the old saying, "Do as I say, not as I do." Is that true leadership?

What if our gifting policy was a limit of $24, and a firm chose to give $25 gift certificates. Could someone working for that company effectively and believably lead an association that counsels against that practice?

What if one of the goals of participation in and certification by NCRA was to the end that reporters could have, using my words, a very lucrative career in reporting ... theoretically make more money by holding those certifications ... and a leader or official was absolutely in agreement with that while wearing their official hat, but in their own business practice they were working very diligently not to just compete but to be the first to lower prices, meet and beat others' rates, and cut special deals, whether specifically called "contracting" or not? What message is that sending to those who don't see one side or the other, but both?

What about reporting firms whose public face seems to be steno only ... for now ... but who have back-room operations that are transcribing those digital ER tapes from courtrooms around the country? What message is that sending to reporters who know about all that? Some traditional court reporting firms have no problem advertising their in-house transcription services. Others prefer to fly stealth and not advertise their transcription services on the same page as their steno court reporting services, sending a kind of a mixed message that yeah, steno is great and all, but in the end, if we can't beat 'em, we'll be darn ready to join 'em.

Reporters who post on public message boards and forums have very strongly held beliefs, and don't mind sharing them. They're very passionate about what they do and how they do it, and they're willing to put their beliefs into action. And that's exactly what reporters need to survive.

Rightly or wrongly, for years we've trusted NCRA to guide us and protect us from exactly what's happening in our profession today, and it's my opinion that they've failed miserably at that task. As reporters, we've trusted the firms we work with to make decisions that are good for both firm and reporter, but over the last dozen years, many of those firms have only looked to their own bottom line without consideration of the talent required to keep that bottom line healthy. We can look around and see what the trickle-down effect from above has been, and now I believe only a grassroots movement, from the bottom UP, is what reporters need to survive. And realtime proficiency, dedication to quality, a return to rock-solid ethics in business dealings, and looking OUTSIDE the reporting profession for business advice is what reporters will need to THRIVE.

Sadly, even that grassroots movement is not going to keep every reporter in the profession, and it's not going to save every job. Competing on a 1-800 ocean level, no matter what color the water starts out, it turns red very quickly. Staying small, creating a niche market with true specialization and a handful of quality-minded clients is, in my opinion, the only way a reporter will thrive in years to come and still be able to retain some bit of self-esteem about what they do for a living.

And to all: Beware the sharks!

Mary Ann Payonk, CRR-RDR

You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows

2007-11-09T00:54:00.000-06:00

ConcernedReporters.com has received web traffic from 46 states and 6 countries. Since the inception of the website there have been 2972 visits.

Our first opinion poll on NRCA membership closed on October 14, 2007. The first survey question was: Should NCRA open membership to voicewriters, voicerecorders, ER operators, videographers, scopists, transcriptionists, programmers, languagetranslation experts, speech recognition experts, hardware/software vendors and all supporting technology?

A total of 286 participants voted. 27 said yes and 259 said no, making that a 90% majority.

Make your opinion known. Check out Survey Question No. 2 by clicking on the Page 2 link on the right sidebar.

I Beg Your Pardon!

2007-11-08T23:32:00.000-06:00

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

Gardening is one of my hobbies. For many years I’ve been fascinated that tiny seeds barely visible to the eye can grow into green foliage, and then vibrant colors, shapes, and sizes of blooms appear simply by adding water and the warmth of sunshine.

I’ve learned so much from gardening; analogies about life’s balance, what seems like a simple result on the surface carries hidden complexities that are at work while we’re busy with other activities. As resilient as plants can be, they are also very fragile and require your attention to realize the best results.

At the end of our national convention in Grapevine, I was as shocked as many others who attended at the suggestion by Ms. DiLorenzo that our direction for the future should be as an "umbrella" organization for all forms of making the record. I read the on-line posts in the following days on the TCRA discussion forum and on the "concernedreporters.com" site - even put in my two cents worth early on. Writing an article for the latter site seemed a good idea since I’ve been involved in learning about ER, and sharing what I’ve learned with reporters in the state of Texas since the summer of 2004, but I had a mental block about what to say. It’s just that it all seemed to have been discussed - the points and counterpoints made. What else is there to say?

It came to me one afternoon as I attempted my annual taming of the overgrowth of Cypress Vine in our backyard. Here’s my analogy; lots of metaphors. My position on this "umbrella" concept? I am absolutely against the idea, just in case you might be wondering. Making the analogy herein is about as succinct as I can get, and I thank God for the lessons He points out for us in nature, His world in which we live.

About two years ago, I was at our local Central Market - you know, the Neiman Marcus of grocery stores - top quality stuff, their people know their business. I trusted their products to match their high standards, I trusted the advice they gave. I purchased a package of seeds, and the description was "easy grower, beautiful fern-like leaves with bright red blooms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies."

The seeds indeed germinated easily - about 90% of them - and the first year, the vine produced an abundant growth of wispy, fern-like leaves on willowy stems that wrapped in and through the trellis that my husband built for it along our fence, next to my climbing roses. Because I’m a weekend gardener, I did little to keep its growth in check, and it proceeded to wrap its willowy stems all through the trellis and even into my roses. No matter, I thought, they will provide an additional color scheme to the roses. Late into summer (about August through early November) the vines, with thousands of willowy stems, produced thousands of small bright red flowers so thick it shaded the west side of the house. No matter, I thought, shade is nice on the west side when the hot Texas sun hits the house in the late afternoon. It was too late in the season for the hummingbirds and I didn’t see too many butterflies alight on it (they liked my Lantana better), but the bees loved it. No matter, I thought, bees are a very necessary part of nature, and I’ll just have to be careful not to get stung (I’ll have an allergic reaction). I can learn to co-exist with them in my own yard.

First frost came, and the vine died back; I pulled the vine down from the trellis, and with each pull, those little dry seed pods on the flowers would pop open, spraying their seeds into the air. The seeds are equally wispy, and they went sailing through the air to unknown destinations - into my yard and crossing over the fence to the neighbor’s yard. I was busy, little time to do anything about it, and I swept the area as best I could. No matter, I thought, about my neighbor’s yard, because he doesn’t like yardwork and he has a shortage of color in his drab yard.

Well, let’s cut to the point here, as you all can just imagine what this past spring and summer has been like in my garden. I’ve had more work added to my gardening duties because I didn’t do my own homework before I planted seeds that would lead to exponential growth of a plant that was detrimental to other healthy plants. The resulting vine was pleasing to the eye at first; it seemed a good balance that would provide future benefit. My neighbor did nothing to control the seedlings’ growth, and now, because of his lack of caring, his seeds will spread to the yard next to his - sounds like the kudzu dilemma in Georgia, doesn’t it?

So, what’s the NCRA garden look like? Do you want to bring in lots of different gardeners and allow one type to overshadow the next, compete for the available space, spread into areas where it’s not suited? Or, have a dedicated plant that’s best suited for its environment and can be cultivated and watched over by experienced and trained gardeners?

Think about it, fellow reporters, before you allow the planting of seeds that will choke out the life of a viable and vital profession.

Submitted by Marigay Black, CSR, RPR
Official Court Reporter, Collin County, Texas
Member TCRA, NCRA

They're Moving Our Cheese

2007-10-22T12:05:00.000-05:00

The President of NCRA’s inaugural speech encourages us to broaden our minds to broaden our membership to accept all methods of making a record.

We have two different and conflicting interests at play here. There are those who believe that a strong association is the key to the success of the profession and that with numbers and funds, the profession of court reporting will be successful.

Many of those who believe that are current leaders of NCRA and are very concerned about dwindling numbers and the continued viability of our national association. What they are in effect asking you (the individual member of NCRA) to do is allow other technologies to join our ranks in an effort to "control" that technology so that it can come up to the standards that our technology presently enjoys. They believe that if we allow that base to broaden to include all those people, that we, as individual members, will be better off by having an association that can represent all who want to do what we do.

That is an honest and legitimate debate. Please allow me to express my opinions on why I think there are honest and legitimate fundamental flaws in those beliefs.

An association that attempts to broaden its scope to the point of representing all methods of making a record gives up its ability to represent one of its members against another. When a jurisdiction comes to our association requesting its recommendation on which method of making a record would best suit their needs, what will they be told? If they are told that the machine shorthand reporter is by far the best method of making a record, which in my humble opinion is still the truth, how will the "new members" using another method react to that? If they are told that a tape recorder will work just fine in their jurisdiction, how will you react if you are the one replaced by that recommendation? Who will you turn to for information and guidance on how to defend your position that your skills are superior to those of the method that has been recommended by your own association? The money, time and energy you’ve donated to your association will have been used to replace you. For some of us, that’s decades of money, time and energy.

Here’s Where I Think the REAL fight is:

They have been "conditioning" us for this since the "Who Moved My Cheese" campaign that took place about 10 years ago. If you‘ve read that book, you know that its premise is that things are going to change, and for you to survive you must anticipate that change, incorporate it and go with the flow.

Think about what could happen if one or more of the large consolidators with officers and directors on our Board were to instantly gain the ability to not only recommend the new method of making a record by using tapes, but could offer contracts to those jurisdictions to tape their trials as well. We would be forced out of those jobs, and to survive we would probably be graciously offered a position with that corporation to use our skills to become transcribers. Of course, the pay would have to be adjusted, but we could still use our skills and work at home!! The profit margin in a venture like that would be unimaginable. By the way, have you noticed how much time they’ve been getting lately to stand up in front of us at conventions and tell us what great guys they are?

Some of these companies got their start by going directly to parties to litigation and acquiring contracts from them, then using those contracts to get their reporters. If we wanted to continue working for the same clients we had been working for for years, we had to do it on their terms or give up those clients. Overnight they were making money off litigation that they didn’t have to write a word of shorthand to get. Some of that money has come out of our pockets, some out of the pockets of the very people they’ve contracted with, but even more of it has come out of the pockets of parties that wind up on the other side of litigation they are involved in. Up until recently NCRA has defended us in the fight against this type contracting. Now that new leadership has come on board, that defense has all but disappeared.

It’s my great fear that these large corporations have now found a way to make a profit in the official arena as well. All they need to do is condition us into believing that all methods of technology belong in our association, get us to vote them in and give them that overnight credibility that they can then take to the courthouse and offer them a solution to every jurisdiction’s nightmare, the high cost of litigation.

Their Next Step:

Once they’ve accomplished their goal of installing the NCRA-blessed method, to make it work they will be going to our state legislatures to dumb down the requirements of the current verbatim record. States that have already done that have had to come up with ways to handle blank tapes and inaudibles in their records, and many of those same measures will have to be taken in states that adopt this new technology as well.

What the Members Need:

Our membership needs to take a stand. We need to vote in members who aren’t afraid to fight for the machine shorthand reporter. We need an association that will spend our money on educating the users of our services of the benefits of the machine shorthand reporter; and to stop spending that money on strategies to get us to change what we know in our hearts is right.

In the future, we, as dues paying members of NCRA, should know how candidates for office stand on the issues affecting our association. They should be required to post those opinions for all, who are now voting on line, to see. The "I’m willing to have an open mind" response sounds like a reasonable response, but I’ve come to learn over the years that it really means "I’m against what you’re suggesting, but I don’t have the courage to tell you." I think candidates should be required to publicly state their position before they are voted on, and if they change that position during their tenure we should be allowed to know why.

If any one of you truly believes you are not the best method of making a verbatim record, it’s time for you to either retire or retrain. If you retrain in this method, God bless you. If you decide there is a better method, go join their association and help them be successful. We need our association to get back to helping us be successful.

Respectfully,

David B. Jackson, CSR, RDR

What is a Prohibited Contract?

2007-10-17T22:13:00.006-05:00

On NCRA’s website, under Issues and Advocacy, you will find Model Legislation [Rules] created by Citizens for Impartial Justice (CIJ).

"Specific examples of arrangements that are prohibited include ones that:

"Establish rates and terms for court reporting services that extend beyond a single case, action or proceeding;

"Include a court reporter on any list of preferred providers of court reporting services after exchanging information and reaching an agreement specifying the prices or other terms upon which future court reporting services will be provided, whether or not the services actually are ever ordered;

"Prohibit or restrict the discretion of the noticing attorney from using the court reporter of the attorney's choice;

"Allow the format of the transcript to be manipulated to affect pricing, require the court reporter taking the deposition to relinquish control of an original deposition transcript and copies of the transcript before it is certified and delivered to the custodial attorney, or otherwise give any other person or entity the right to control or direct the time, manner or method of providing court reporting services;

"Fail to offer comparable services, in both quality and price, to all parties or otherwise require the court reporter to provide special financial terms or other services that are not offered at the same time and on the same terms to all other parties in the litigation;

"Allow the court reporter to deal directly with a party at interest, except to provide invoices;

"Base the compensation of the court reporter on the outcome or otherwise give the court reporter a financial interest in the action; and

"Provide additional litigation support services normally associated with an attorney's litigation support team."

While many states, including Texas, have been successful in their lobbying efforts for stronger laws and/or rules prohibiting certain contracts for court reporting services, these practices continue. Yes, we have been fighting this issue for well over 10 years. Does that mean we give up?

Not a chance!

-- Donna Collins

The Officers and Directors of ConcernedReporters

2007-10-13T17:29:00.005-05:00

PRESS RELEASE - October 12, 2007

ConcernedReporters was organized on August 10, 2007, to provide an information exchange to preserve the credibility and integrity of the reporting profession.

President: David B. Jackson, RDR, CSR
National Court Reporters Association - Past Director
Citizens for Impartial Justice - Past Chair
Texas Court Reporters Association - Past President, Distinguished Service Award, Texas Hall of Fame
TCRA F.A.I.R. PAC - Past Chair
Dallas Court Reporters Association - Past President
Texas Supreme Court Rules Advisory Committee
Texas Court Reporters Certification Board - Past Board Member
Freelance firm owner
Member: NCRA, TCRA, DCRA, STAR

Vice-President: Glenda Fuller, CSR
National Court Reporters Association - PAC Governing Board
Texas Court Reporters Association - Past President, Texas Hall of Fame, Legislative Liaison, Above and Beyond Award
TCRA F.A.I.R. PAC - Past Chair
Texas Court Reporters Certification Board - Past Board Member
Freelance court reporter
Member: NCRA, TCRA, STAR

Secretary: Jerry "Will" Callaway, RDR, CRR, CPE, CSR
National Court Reporters Association - Past Director
Texas Court Reporters Association - Past President, Distinguished Service Award, Texas Hall of Fame
Dallas Court Reporters Association - Past President
Texas Court Reporters Certification Board - Past Board Member
Freelance firm owner
Member: NCRA, TCRA, DCRA, STAR

Treasurer: Judith G. Werlinger, FAPR, RMR, CRR, CMRS, CSR
National Court Reporters Association - Past Treasurer, Past Director, Fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters
National Court Reporters Foundation - Past Chair, Past Trustee, Santo J. Aurelio Award for Altruism
Texas Court Reporters Association - Past President, Distinguished Service Award, Texas Hall of Fame
TCRA F.A.I.R. PAC - Past Chair
Official court reporter
Member: NCRA, TCRA

Directors:

Judy K. Hobart, FAPR, RPR, CSR
National Court Reporters Association - Fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters
National Committee of State Associations - Past Committee
Citizens for Impartial Justice - Past Chair
Texas Court Reporters Association - Past President, Distinguished Service Award, Texas Hall of Fame, Above and Beyond Award
Texas Court Reporters Association F.A.I.R. PAC - Past Chair
Freelance court reporter
Member: NCRA, TCRA, STAR, TCCRA

Shirley Houston, FAPR, RPR, CLVS, CSR
National Court Reporters Association - Past Director, Distinguished Service Award, Fellow of the Academy of Professional Reporters, NCRA Membership Award, Royal Ambassador

National Court Reporters Foundation - Past Chair, Past Trustee, Legacy Society, Santo J. Aurelio Award for Altruism
Texas Court Reporters Association - Past Vice-President, Distinguished Service Award , Texas Hall of Fame, Above and Beyond Award
STAR (formerly BUG) - Past Director, Past Treasurer
Houston Court Reporters Association - Past President, Distinguished Service Award
Court Reporting Institute of Houston - Advisory Board
Alvin Community College - Former Advisor
Freelance firm owner
Member: NCRA, TCRA, HCRA, STAR

Judy D. Miller, CSR
National Court Reporters Association
National Committee of State Associations - Past Chair
National Center for State Courts CTC 8 - Past Chair
Texas Information Technology Task Force - Member
Texas Judicial Committee on Information Technology - Member
Texas Center for the Judiciary - Faculty
Texas Court Reporters Certification Board - Past Board Member
Texas Appeals Management and E-Filing System - Member
Texas Court Reporters Association - Past President, Distinguished Service Award, Texas Hall of Fame
Texas Court Reporters Association F.A.I.R. PAC - Past Chair
Tarrant County Court Reporters Association - Past President
Iverson Court Reporting Instute - Advisory Board
Official court reporter
Member: NCRA, TCRA, TCCRA

Debbie Main, RMR, CSR
Texas Court Reporters Association - Past President, Distinguished Service Award, Texas Hall of Fame
Texas Record Editor
Texas Court Reporter Association F.A.I.R. PAC - Past Chair
Retired official court reporter
Member: NCRA, TCRA, TCCRA

If you would like to be listed as a concernedreporter, send your contact information to concernedreporters@earthlink.net or call us Monday through Friday at:

1-800-513-3376

Who's Got Your Back? I'm Starting to Feel a Draft.

2007-10-10T23:47:00.000-05:00

The 2007 Texas Legislative session was one of the most difficult ones that I have experienced. Court Reporters were being attacked from all angles - "ownership of the record," reduction in salaries, and replacing us with electronic recording.

Do we "own the record"? No, of course not. We cannot put our transcripts on E-Bay for the highest bidder.

The session was a really tough one, but the biggest challenge was ER (electronic recording) - convincing a legislator that courts already have the choice of either making a record with a live reporter or with ER was not an easy battle.

First question asked - What are other states doing? ER has a strong presence in many states, but with NCRA’s help we were able to show the many benefits of the machine writer. And, of course, Realtime is the Gold Standard, so a live reporter must be the Silver Standard, and ER is not even in medal contention.

My dilemma is this: If NCRA opens its doors for membership to alternative technology providers, have we on a state level lost an ally in our fight to save jobs? The first answer that jumps to my mind is yes.

One of the definitions in Websters for Association is "an organization of persons having a common interest." NCRA should have the "common interest" of promoting stenotype reporters.
NCRA has for over 100 years been an organization that was "in the business" of helping, protecting and looking out for the stenotype reporter. If we change the membership structure that individual - the stenotype reporter - has the most to lose. We could lose the ability to earn an income and that is very important to all of us, but a huge loss would be a professional one - we would lose the right to call ourselves "Guardians of the Record."

-- Glenda Fuller

Strategery

2007-10-01T13:55:00.000-05:00

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.

-- Winston Churchill

An umbrella association has a beautiful sound to it. Why can’t NCRA be the parent association for all methods of making a record, whether it be verbatim, digital, tape, voice, sign, pen?

NCRA can’t be the mother and master of all technologies. There are too many differentiations in needs and methods. There are too many variations in education of methods. Stenotype reporters require years of academics, along with speed. A digital transcriber requires very little education; nothing more than how to turn the digital system on.

In this comment I am not attempting to discuss the merits of the various methods, but just the ability of an association to service all methods. If we have as many stenotype non-members in the field at the present time as are indicated, then this association has not serviced the current needs of the profession. That should be our first and foremost effort: recruitment of stenotype reporters.

The needs are too varied between stenotype reporters and their relationships with their legislators and county commissioners, as opposed to the vendors that provide digital technology. The digital technology companies must be salivating at the prospect of losing the opposition of NCRA.

How Do We Get Out of This Spot We're In?

2007-09-22T20:56:00.000-05:00

We can’t give up on the students. If they are no longer getting out of school then there’s a reason. We need stenotype reporters, so let’s figure that one out. I’ll start off with some ideas and then reporters with more knowledge can chime in.

Yes, realtime is the future of court reporting and the future of the judicial system. BUT realtime is not the way to pass speed tests. There is a difference in how we write for speed and how we write for perfection. I believe this is the key to students passing the speed tests and passing their state CSR, RPR, et cetera.

There is no other profession in which you are expected to start at the top, and realtime is the top. Let’s get these students past the speed blips and into writing with ease, and then they can perfect their realtime.

-- Judy Hobart

Court Reporters Provide Much More Than You Think

2007-09-08T11:00:00.001-05:00

(The following is an editorial reply, reprinted from The Cincinnati Enquirer, Saturday, September 1, 2007)

By Yolanda L. Walton

On behalf of the members of the Ohio Court Reporters Association, I would like to respond to Hamilton County Commissioner DeWine's suggestion that audio recording is a better method of capturing courtroom proceedings than official court reporters ("DeWine: Court reporters cost too much," Aug. 19).

The article states that "Many federal courts have ruled in favor of technology," but the fact is 95 percent of federal judges choose court reporters as their method of making the record, because official court reporters utilize the most up-to-date technology of turning the spoken word into text, a process called "real-time translation."

The article refers to court reporters as "the men and women who type what happens in the court." That description stops far short of what court reporters actually do. For hearing-impaired litigants, without a court reporter's real-time translation of proceedings, they would be unable to fully participate in their own trial. We are a priceless service to them.

Judges rely on their court reporters for more than just making the record. We can alert the judge to something that is omitted, misstated, garbled or something amiss in the courtroom, which again is priceless for the judicial officer.

An attorney appointed to an indigent defendant for appeal purposes having to listen to tapes of a multi-day trial at an hourly rate would be more costly and less convenient than a review of a transcript.

Why settle for less value with electronic recording? There is so much more involved in what court reporters provide to the judicial system and its litigants than a price tag.

(Yolanda L. Walton is president of the Ohio Court Reporters Association. She lives in Norwalk, Ohio.)

Is NCRA Taking a New Direction?

2007-08-26T19:27:00.000-05:00

"It is you who will decide what you want your Association to be."

-- Kathy DiLorenzo, NCRA President

Following are excerpts of President's address by Kathy DiLorenzo, RDR, CRR, CBC, Friday, August 10, 2007, NCRA Opening Premier Session at the Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, Texas.

For the entire text of the speech go to http://ncraonline.org/AboutNCRA/president/

"My esteemed colleagues, fast forward to 2007 and the current state of court reporting. I can report to you today that voicewriting and electronic recording are no longer a threat to our profession. They are, in fact, a reality.

"There are at least 21 states where voicewriters are an accepted method of court reporting, with many states certifying their voicewriters with the same exam used to test steno reporters. Upon realization that their ranks were dwindling and they needed members to keep their associations alive and well, most of these same state associations have accepted voicewriters as members."

"Over the past several years, we have seen voicewriting technology on the air in the captioning arena. We ask, is their method good enough for captioning? The more appropriate question is, are there any voice captioners who have reached the level accepted by the marketplace?"

"Vendors of digital recording systems are making their way into the freelance arena. They're starting in the areas where there is a reporter shortage, gaining acceptance from the legal community, then moving into the larger cities. Who are the folks that will operate this recorder? Will they be unqualified, uncertified workers? If there are no standards, no certifying body, that is certain to happen."

"NCRA is our Association. It is the body that represents each of us, that educates us, that certifies us, and that protects our interests on Capitol Hill. Will we watch as our ranks are reduced and services dwindle because we won't admit to ourselves that our profession no longer belongs to steno writers only? Or will we decide that it is we, the intelligence behind the machine, who are the stakeholders in the National Court Reporters Association?

"Just for a moment, consider this scenario: Consider an Association that includes all speech-to-text providers, such as steno reporters, voicewriters, electronic reporting operators, videographers, scopists, transcriptionists, programmers, language translation experts, speech recognition experts, and hardware and software vendors of all methods and all supporting technology. Imagine that the highest-paid practitioner is the realtime specialist, who commands respect in the industry for their ability to translate speech to text with the highest levels of accuracy."

"You've all got a picture in your mind right now of what an all-inclusive Association can look like. Now allow your mind to bring back into focus an Association that entrusts its entire future to the steno machine. Anybody scared? I am.

"You are all wearing a ribbon that signifies that you are a leader. Yesterday, the members in this room took the first bold step toward ‘Leadership by All’ by voting for an Amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws that allows each Member to have a voice in the governance of their Association. From this point forward, it is you who will make decisions for this Association. It is you who will look out for your interests, whatever they may be. No longer will others be voting on what is best for you. It is you who will decide what you want your Association to be."

IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT YOUR ASSOCIATION TO BE?
concernedreporters.com