All of us here at WUNCRA have been patiently waiting for the NCRA board to reveal their big plan for countering the very well organized group that is changing the conversation in this country from stenographers to digital recording.
But all we are hearing are … crickets!
While the board is redefining itself into NCRA 2.0, the world, once again, is passing it by. A big bunch of past presidents of NCRA are attending the national convention of digital recorders in Orlando in a couple of weeks, and what have we heard from the board? Crickets!
The theme of the recorders’ convention is “The Paradigm Shift”!!! A past president with a Ph.D. is the keynote speaker!!!
Here’s a secret NCRA Board: This digital recording onslaught is a bigger issue to steno reporters than contracting! You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
A bill was introduced in California, AB 424, clarifying a current law:
“Existing law provides procedures for the recording of depositions by means of audio or video technology. A party who intends to offer an audio or video recording of the deposition in evidence must accompany the offer with a stenographic transcript prepared from the recording, unless a stenographic record was previously prepared.
“This bill would clarify that a stenographic transcript accompanying an audio or video recording of deposition testimony offered into evidence must be prepared by a certified shorthand reporter.”
Planet Depos, whose director of court reporting is a past president of NCRA, submitted an opposition to the clarifying bill stating that digital recorders “perform the same functions as a stenographic reporter on the job.”
We need somebody out there getting in front of this assault!
There is nothing that NCRA does right now that is more important than getting front of the misrepresentations and deceit that has already begun to bleed into the profession.
Aside from “essential services,” we implore the NCRA board to put EVERYTHING else aside and get all hands on deck to represent stenographic reporters.
We are tired of hearing … crickets!
WAKE UP, NCRA!
Frank N. Sense
P.S. Please send this to every stenographic reporter that you know so that they know what’s coming down the pike, too!