Why Save Steno?

Posted bystenoimperiumPosted inAI and the Legal System, Court Reporting, Legal ServicesTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Why save steno?”

It’s a fair question.

At first glance, stenography might seem like just another outdated profession—an analog relic in a digital world. But that’s exactly the misconception that’s threatening the integrity of our justice system, eroding public trust in legal records, and displacing thousands of professionals who don’t just document proceedings—they protect them.

Let’s be clear: Stenographic court reporters are not optional. They’re constitutional.

They’re the human safeguard in a system that hinges on exactness, impartiality, and accountability. They don’t just record what was said. They clarify, confirm, and preserve what was meant. In a courtroom where careers, reputations, parental rights, and sometimes freedom itself hang in the balance, every syllable counts.

Machines Can’t Do What We Do

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) and digital recording companies like to sell a vision: faster, cheaper, scalable. But reality tells a different story—one where machines:

  • Misattribute speakers
  • Drop crucial testimony
  • Fail in noisy environments
  • Miss nonverbal cues
  • Cannot interrupt or clarify when something is unclear

In a 2023 NCRA study, digital systems failed to capture full testimony in 14% of proceedings. That’s not a glitch. That’s a due process violation.

What Happens When the Record Fails?

Let’s spell it out:

  • A missing word in a transcript? That’s grounds for appeal.
  • Inaudible key testimony? That’s a motion to strike.
  • Unverifiable exchanges? That’s a mistrial.
  • Fabricated transcripts? That’s attorney sanctions—and lawsuits.

Now ask yourself: If you were a litigant, would you trust your life to a mic and a machine?

It’s Not Just About the Courtroom

Stenographers don’t just transcribe. We protect the record. We detect when someone is speaking too softly. We pause for clarity. We speak up when the record is in jeopardy. No algorithm does that.

We are the quiet guardians of truth in depositions, trials, hearings, arbitrations, and legislative proceedings. We’re not “just typists.” We are trained officers of the court, bound by ethics, accuracy, and confidentiality.

What’s Being Lost

When you eliminate the stenographer, here’s what else disappears:

  • The human intelligence to understand context
  • The ethical obligation to be neutral and present
  • The real-time access attorneys rely on in court
  • The career pathway for thousands of skilled professionals, many of them women and mothers supporting their families

You don’t save money by erasing humans. You just create new costs—in retrials, mistrials, appeals, and lost trust.

Why Save Steno?

Because once it’s gone, you won’t realize what you’ve lost until it’s too late.

Because this is not about nostalgia. It’s about justice.

Because no machine is more reliable than a trained human reporter—real-time, accountable, and present.

Because your words matter. And only we make sure they live on exactly as they were said.

Call to Action

If you’re an attorney, a judge, a journalist, or a citizen:

  • Demand a certified stenographer in your proceedings.
  • Refuse to accept a “transcript” created by a machine.
  • Support legislation that protects the human record.

The question isn’t “Why save steno?”

It’s “How can we afford not to?”

Steno Imperium
Court Reporting. Unfiltered. Unafraid.

Disclaimer

The content of this post is intended for informational and discussion purposes only. All opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are based on publicly available information, industry standards, and good-faith concerns about nonprofit governance and professional ethics. No part of this article is intended to defame, accuse, or misrepresent any individual or organization. Readers are encouraged to verify facts independently and to engage constructively in dialogue about leadership, transparency, and accountability in the court reporting profession.

  • The content on this blog represents the personal opinions, observations, and commentary of the author. It is intended for editorial and journalistic purposes and is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
  • Nothing here constitutes legal advice. Readers are encouraged to review the facts and form independent conclusions.

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Published by stenoimperium

We exist to facilitate the fortifying of the Stenography profession and ensure its survival for the next hundred years! As court reporters, we've handed the relationship role with our customers, or attorneys, over to the agencies and their sales reps.  This has done a lot of damage to our industry.  It has taken away our ability to have those relationships, the ability to be humanized and valued.  We've become a replaceable commodity. Merely saying we are the “Gold Standard” tells them that we’re the best, but there are alternatives.  Who we are though, is much, much more powerful than that!  We are the Responsible Charge.  “Responsible Charge” means responsibility for the direction, control, supervision, and possession of stenographic & transcription work, as the case may be, to assure that the work product has been critically examined and evaluated for compliance with appropriate professional standards by a licensee in the profession, and by sealing and signing the documents, the professional stenographer accepts responsibility for the stenographic or transcription work, respectively, represented by the documents and that applicable stenographic and professional standards have been met.  This designation exists in other professions, such as engineering, land surveying, public water works, landscape architects, land surveyors, fire preventionists, geologists, architects, and more.  In the case of professional engineers, the engineering association adopted a Responsible Charge position statement that says, “A professional engineer is only considered to be in responsible charge of an engineering work if the professional engineer makes independent professional decisions regarding the engineering work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional engineer’s physical presence at the location where the engineering work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the engineering work.” If we were to adopt a Responsible Charge position statement for our industry, we could start with a draft that looks something like this: "A professional court reporter, or stenographer, is only considered to be in responsible charge of court reporting work if the professional court reporter makes independent professional decisions regarding the court reporting work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional court reporter’s physical presence at the location where the court reporting work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the court reporting work.” Shared purpose The cornerstone of a strategic narrative is a shared purpose. This shared purpose is the outcome that you and your customer are working toward together. It’s more than a value proposition of what you deliver to them. Or a mission of what you do for the world. It’s the journey that you are on with them. By having a shared purpose, the relationship shifts from consumer to co-creator. In court reporting, our mission is “to bring justice to every litigant in the U.S.”  That purpose is shared by all involved in the litigation process – judges, attorneys, everyone.  Who we are is the Responsible Charge.  How we do that is by Protecting the Record.

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