Happy Autumn, OCRA members! As I have been contemplating what I would like to write for my first In Brief article as president of OCRA, the choice for me came fairly easy. On the first weekend in November, OCRA held its annual fall convention. It was a nice turnout and was held in Hood River. For mostly the last several years, we have flipped from the coast to places in Central Oregon, but it was decided that we would go back to Hood River where we were about ten years ago for our Tri-State Convention with Washington and Idaho. On the drive there Friday afternoon, it was raining pretty heavily, but by the time Sunday rolled around, although a bit breezy, it was absolutely beautiful. The fall colors are truly so brilliant and seem even more so this year!

I look forward to going to the fall convention every year. Not only is it a great weekend for catching up with old friends (for me, I have shared the trip to and from with my mentor for several years now!), but it’s a chance to meet new friends, learn new things, and get inspired about our wonderful industry. I always seem to come away exhausted just taking everything in, spending each minute learning and visiting and sharing stories that only another reporter can understand and truly appreciate, eating and drinking, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But each year for me, the biggest takeaway of the weekend is “refreshing my memory” for my love of writing on the machine and how I always feel encouraged and motivated and inspired to become the best writer I can be. I’m truly in awe of all those writers out there who, at least to me, seem like they are perfect writers and have it all together. I know there’s no perfect writers, but, in my mind, there are several reporters and captioners out there that fit that description.

At the convention this year, we had a couple of presentations that were focused on motivation. AI was talked about as well. I will only speak for myself but know that, in talking with my reporter friends, it’s easy to become bored and sometimes discouraged and overworked in our profession, maybe even wonder, “What else can I do that would be much easier and not require so much of me?” (At least I know that I have those thoughts from time to time, and, while I am getting older, I’m still a bit too far away from retiring!) This job can be so demanding, especially lately with the amount of work out there and the smaller number of reporters we can call on to help. In a time with AI breathing down our necks, with all the talk about how we’re going to eventually be replaced, I love having that motivation once again. It helps to bring my focus back to what I want to do and need to do to make sure I will always have a job and to keep proving that I, as a human being, am more valuable and better than any AI product. The skill that we have is not shared by a whole lot of people, and, no doubt about it, what we do is absolutely AMAZING! I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn and to share with all of you and especially for our little community.

I also want to thank each and every one of you who were able to join this year, and I want to thank each and every one of you, whether you attended or not, who donated in some way. It shows your support for our profession, and I love how we all just come together to support our fall conventions and our association. Not only is it great to have that camaraderie that feeds our souls, but it’s equally as important that we can share experiences and talk about what is happening and what’s going on. Not all states have associations where all that can be shared, and so I feel fortunate for ours.

Front and center right now is all the talk about AI. There are many in our field out there working individually or in groups on the importance of educating lawyers and judges or just about anyone who thinks AI is superior or more beneficial or, by using it, is going to save money in the long run. You can fill in your own blanks, I’m certain. Just this past week alone, two letters have been shared with me regarding the importance of educating those who are using AI and/or thinking about using AI in the judicial setting: One is from the United States Court Reporters Association (USCRA) with a video attached that they have been working on to send out that is aimed at promoting the value of court reporters over AI. In that letter, they are asking that we share it with our clerks, judges, fellow reporters, and state associations.

Also, there’s a newly formed association called Jeopardizing Justice, and they have put together a very detailoriented letter addressed to JAMS (Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services) that essentially talks about what dangers AI-generated transcripts can and have caused, and they are asking state associations for their support, and we at OCRA have gladly given ours. I would encourage all of you to go to their website, https://jeopardizingjustice.com/, and check it out. There’s a wealth of information there.

I know that I really appreciate and am grateful for all of those people who are making sure that the right people are getting educated. Some people really have a gift in the way they present information to others, and there are some great articles that can help to educate all of us in how we can fight for what we believe in when explaining just how valuable we are, and, especially because there’s so much more work needed to be done, they are sharing with all of us some talking points. It’s important that we stick together and show our support to those who are willing to go to bat for us in our industry, and hopefully we can all learn how to do the same. It makes our voices louder and more powerful when we stand together in unity.

As Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Christmas is fast approaching, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and are enjoying all those vibrant fall colors! 

Jacqueline Butler, CSR-OR, CCR-WA, RPR

President, Oregon Court Reporters Association