The United States Senate has declared August 3rd a National Court Reporting and Captioning Day.
There are more than 250 court reporters in North Carolina about half are state employees, the others are freelance or independent contractors. Their job is to make an exact transcript of everything said in our state’s courtrooms during a trial or to caption newscasts and other events as they happen on the screen. It takes a two to three year course to become a reporter. These courses are offered by some community or junior colleges. It is a most demanding job with high concentration required. Not everyone can follow conversations in a courtroom and type them on a special keyboard. Some reporters use a mask-type microphone and repeat what is said in court, later typing a transcript from the audiotape.
More and more captioners are being used on television to allow those with hearing impairments to follow the news or a program. Special computer
software is used to transfer the typed stenographer’s shorthand into writing on the screen within seconds of a newscaster saying them. There are some 24 million deaf or hard of hearing TV viewers in the United States.
Reporters and captioners are required to pass national certification exams and undergo yearly educational courses.
According to Jane Eaton, court reporter coordinator for the Administrative Office of the Courts in Raleigh, there is a shortage of reporters and captioners in the state. “These people are very valuable to our justice system,” said Eaton. “They make the exact record of the proceedings on which any appeal or further legal action could hinge.”
Working with the National Court Reporters Association, Louisiana Senator John Breaux submitted Senate Resolution 95, which reads in part: |
Court Reporters Tina McNair, District 11B
and Lynn Nance-Langford, Hoke and Scotland Counties
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Whereas for millennia, individuals have wanted the spoken word translated into text to record history and to
accomplish this task have relied on scribes:
Whereas the profession of scribe was born with the rise of civilization:
Whereas in Ancient Egypt, scribes were considered to be the literate elite;
Whereas scribes were present with our Nation's founding fathers as the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights were drafted;
Whereas since the advent of shorthand machines, these scribes have been known as "court reporters" and have a permanent place in our courtrooms;
Whereas court reporters are responsible for the closed captioning on television bringing information to more than 28 million hearing-impaired;
Now, therefore, be it Resolved that the Senate designated August 3, 2001, as "National Court Reporting and Captioning Day".
The Senate has also called on President Bush to issue a proclamation calling on the people of this country to observe the day with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities.
For further information:
The National Court Reporters website is:
http://www.ncraonline.org
The North Carolina Court Reporters Association website is: http://www.nccra-online.org
The National Verbatim Reporters Association website is: http://www.nvra.org |
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