Real-time Court Reporting and the Political Debates

?Are you getting all this?? That?s the question we?re asking the real-time captioners covering the political debates.

With candidates interrupting and talking over each other, it was challenging to watch the debates, much less report in real-time!

What is real-time reporting?

The world is a fast moving place filled with information. The sooner it can reach the largest audience, the better. Whether it?s real-time court reporting or using your skills for live events in politics, sports, and business, becoming a Certified Real-time Reporter (CRR) opens a host of opportunities. But it?s not for everyone.

Many of us have either speed or accuracy but not both. CRRs type at a rate of 200 wpm at 96% accuracy. It?s quite a marketable skill not only for political debates but also for seminars, webinars, professional sports like baseball and football. Being able to caption in real-time means the information can be seen by a wider audience sooner.

What can we do to make real-time reporting easier for the reporters?

If there is a lesson to be learned from the debates, it?s not to talk over one another. It makes it challenging, if not impossible, for us to get an accurate account of what is being said. Even if we can record, it?s likely the transcript won?t make sense. This is especially troubling if we?re in real-time where an audience is reading our work seconds later.

Similarly, it?s important to speak clearly and audibly. If we can?t hear you, we will need to ask for you to repeat but if we?re in real-time, we can?t ask for repetition and may not transcribe accurately.

Whether it?s a presidency at stake or a sporting event, we want to give the audience the complete story of what?s happening in real-time. That takes skill and a bit of help from the folks we?re captioning.

If you?re looking for a real-time court reporter in the Phoenix area, contact us today!