COURT REPORTER V THE RECORDING MACHINE - A REVIEW OF THE NEW YORK EXPERIMENT

• NCJ Number: 34620
• Journal: Practical Lawyer Volume: 18 Issue: 8 Dated: (DECEMBER 1972) Pages: 69-78
• Author(s): E G RODEBAUGH
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 10 pages
• Corporate Author: American Law Institute and American Bar Assoc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE PROCEDURES AND RESULTS OF A 1970 COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COURT REPORTERS VERSUS ELECTRONIC RECORDING MACHINES ARE SUMMARIZED.

Abstract

THIS STUDY ARRANGED FOR SIMULTANEOUS RECORDING OF COURTROOM PROCEEDINGS BY OFFICIAL COURT REPORTERS AND BY ELECTRONIC RECORDING MACHINES. THE RESULTS WERE ASSESSED BY MEANS OF A PAINSTAKING COMPARISON OF THE TYPEWRITTEN TRANSCRIPTS PRODUCED BY BOTH METHODS. THE TECHNIQUES OF TRANSCRIPT PRODUCTION FOR BOTH METHODS ARE OUTLINED. IT WAS FOUND THAT COURT REPORTER'S TRANSCRIPTS WERE MORE ACCURATE AND TOOK LESS TIME TO PRODUCE THAN THOSE OF THE ELECTRONIC RECORDING METHOD. PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WITH THE RECORDING MACHINES INCLUDED POOR QUALITY OF RECORDINGS, EXCESS EXTRANEOUS NOISE ON THE RECORDINGS, AND INABILITY OF THE MACHINE TRANSCRIPTS TO NOTE NON-VERBAL ACTIONS OF PARTICIPANTS. THE AUTHOR OFFERS SEVERAL CONCLUDING COMMENTS ON THE NEW YORK EXPERIMENT.