| Many years ago some experts predicted that | | | | certified court reporters. |
| technology would cause a shortage of jobs for court | | | | Even the Bahamas is Suffering |
| reporters, leaving many in the career with no | | | | The Bahamian government is facing a serious |
| employment opportunities. In fact, members of the | | | | shortage of native-born reporters, turning to recruiting |
| profession are in more demand today than ever | | | | them from the US. There are only 33 reporters in the |
| before. Here are a few case studies showing how the | | | | country and 18 of them are immigrants. |
| opportunities are booming. | | | | Many Bahamians attend court reporting classes at |
| New York City - State Blunder Scares Away Certified | | | | Kilgore College in Texas. One student said, "Many |
| Court Reporters | | | | court cases go unrecorded because there aren't |
| There are eight million people in New York City and | | | | enough court reporters. The shortage has created a |
| only 405 of them are court reporters. | | | | large backlog in our court system." |
| Several years ago the state implemented a pilot | | | | Career Opportunities are Everywhere |
| program to use electronic recordings in courts. Fear of | | | | These examples are typical of the job climate all over |
| losing their jobs to technology meant that few young | | | | the country. Massachusetts, Wisconsin, California and |
| people chose the career path. Training programs shut | | | | other states are all experiencing loss of critical court |
| down and at one point only two schools in the city | | | | reporting services as students fear being replaced by |
| were offering court reporting courses. | | | | a tape recorder. |
| After a substantial drop in student population, the state | | | | The reality is that technology has only increased the |
| realized its error and has tried to correct it. Their | | | | opportunities in the profession. Television and web |
| actions have led to an increase in court reporting | | | | broadcasts will always need reporters capable of |
| schools but there is still a critical shortage of reporters | | | | real-time closed captioning. Private businesses are |
| in the city. | | | | finding more opportunities every day to employ |
| Florida Doesn't Learn from New York's Mistake | | | | reporters. |
| Oblivious to history, Florida recently announced a similar | | | | Courtrooms will always need certified court reporters |
| program to use electronic recordings. Pinellas-Pasco | | | | as well. A tape recorder can't ask a mumbling witness |
| judicial court spokesman Ron Stuart said, "I think this is | | | | (or judge) to repeat himself or ensure that the names |
| inevitable and it's progress. It's going to be a more | | | | of everyone present are entered into the record. The |
| accurate system. We certainly have no plans to go | | | | reporter is the only person in the room focused on |
| back." | | | | nothing but creating an accurate record of the |
| Rick Greenspan, president of the Florida Court | | | | proceedings. |
| Reporters Association disagrees, saying, "The best | | | | Technology has never been a danger to the court |
| voice-to-text machine that anyone ever developed is | | | | reporting profession. Increasing job prospect and |
| the live human being." Many experts in the field are | | | | soaring salaries make this one of the best career |
| expecting the state to experience some shortage of | | | | opportunities around today. |