The shortage post got a lot of reach. I’ve spent a lot of time documenting and commenting on the state and trajectory of the field. I know people are working hard and don’t have time to read hundreds of posts of modern court reporting market history.
And I honestly don’t want to alarm people, but I’ve always felt a duty to. Because the signs point clearly to lower incomes for the majority of our students absent some kind of intervention. If there’s something special about this field, it’s how we feel about our students. There you are, so many of you, giving dozens, hundreds, thousands of often unpaid hours to helping others succeed and navigate. I would be half the reporter I am today without the people who stood up for and supported me. And I would be double the reporter I am today if I had known half of you.
There’s a lot we can do. Unionization is on the table for some. A private enterprise that starts pulling in significant market share is on the table. Funding and cohesion can make these things a reality in a way that court reporting associations legally can’t. Do I know a guy in finance? Could I make it happen? Yeah. But I’d need significant buy-in from the community.
AI can be a powerful summarization tool. If you are skeptical, despite the negatives of AI, I have to ask you to use it. We can get through this with the best results possible for our students.
(The errors in the AI answer are an integral part of this piece.)