A short-ish thread on #shorthand, as it’s getting a bit of attention after a Uni dropped it from a journalism syllabus.
When I started as a reporter back in 1988 it was an essential skill. Most reporters would spend a good deal of time reporting courts, councils, inquests and public meetings, where it is absolutely crucial to take an accurate record...
But journalism has changed. In 1988 I was using a manual typewriter at work - Victorian technology. In the 32 years I’ve been in the job it had completely transformed.
Some papers and websites still report courts and councils, but there is a plethora of websites, magazines and other publications that do not and their journalists may not have the same need for shorthand.
I would be reluctant to make it a barrier to entry into the job, especially for those who have got into the job by non-traditional routes.
I’m a little dubious about a subtext here concerning hyper locals and bloggers, many of whom are filling gaps vacated by a shrinking local press, and who may well not have had a traditional training.
There is, sometimes, an unjustified sniffiness about these websites from traditional media, while that traditional media offers no answers to the democratic deficit left by their shrinkage.
That said, one of the joys of a career in journalism is the variety of jobs you can do. You might be in a time now that doesn’t require shorthand, two years down the line it might be useful for another role.
As well as its importance in court and council reporting, if someone denies saying something to you, and you have a good shorthand note, you’re safe. So learn it if you can, it’s useful.
But by far the most important skills for journalists are - the ability to spot a story and tell it well; cultivation of contacts; being able to persuade people to talk to you and interviewing them well, even though they may not like you, or you them.
Personally, I would rank all of those qualities way ahead of shorthand.
