About NCRA STRONG
In March 2019, Past NCRA President Sue Terry, FAPR, RPR, CRR, CRC created a new task force called NCRA STRONG. For decades, the profession has heard that electronic recording technology would be taking our jobs “someday.” The infiltration of electronic recording into state courts began more than two decades ago, but the freelance and captioning worlds have remained relatively unaffected until recently. As a profession, we are approaching that “someday” quickly as seen by the influx of voice-to-text technology in our day-to-day lives and the billions of dollars flooding into the research and development of that market. Add artificial intelligence (AI) to the digital recording systems, and the profession is now facing an emerging and growing threat.
NCRA and its members are facing challenges in the widespread implementation of digital recording in the states. Digital recording is increasingly penetrating the market as state courts and private court reporting firms are turning to this technology in response to regional reporter shortages and budgetary constraints, seemingly in disregard of the dangers posed by digital recording and undeterred by the inferior quality of court records produced by digital recording technology. This trend is perhaps the greatest modern threat to the stenographic court reporting profession, to NCRA’s members, and more importantly, to those who are the consumers of our services. NCRA alone currently does not have the resources and boots-on-the-ground information to fight the proliferation of digital recording in the most effective way without you.To prevent digital recording from becoming the primary method of taking the record, we must mobilize the court reporting community to unite and respond to this inferior and, likely, more costly method.
The NCRA STRONG Task Force has been meeting regularly, organizing grassroots actions, and providing a toolbox for members to use in educating the public and legal community regarding the importance of stenographic reporting.
The Task Force has raised awareness in our external audiences about the dangers and pitfalls of digital recording by creating tools for use in state and national newsletters. The Task Force will work with state affiliates to create materials with state-specific, fact-based content, which members of both the state and national associations can distribute to key decision-makers and end users. The Task Force will also work with state associations and provide guidance in how to present this information to judges and bar associations, as well as captioning service industry companies across the country.
In concert with NCRA’s Government Relations staff, the Task Force will review and analyze digital recording-related legislation in the states and coordinate advocacy response efforts through small rapid response forces in geographic regions. These rapid response forces would maintain contact with state leaders and serve as an early warning system when these digital recording issues arise.
We will continue to advocate tirelessly for stenographers. We are here to protect you!
The members of the NCRA STRONG Task Force are:
Phyllis Craver-Lykken, RPR, Chair
Lisa Migliore Black
Christopher Day
Lillian M. Freiler, FAPR, RMR, CMRS
Rich Germosen, RMR, CRR
Cheryl Haab, RPR
Karen L. Hart, RMR, CRR
Elizabeth A. Harvey, RPR
Alan Peacock, FAPR, RDR, CRR, CRC
Isaiah Roberts, RPR
Dineen Squillante, RPR
Lindsay Stoker, RPR, CRC