To shorthand or not to shorthand?
February 24, 2011 2 Comments
Hello everyone!
Shameful to say being the assistant editor and all, this is my very first blog for Catch 22. To tell you a little bit about my role I commission, research sub and write features and reviews (that is I write reviews not all the other things, our lovely reviews editor Giulia does that). I also manage our brilliant editorial team, as well as going through e-mails and ignoring lots of highly irrelevant press releases.
As Catch 22 and it’s academy is all about training young people in acquire essential skills to gain that much coveted media job I thought I’d focus on the ongoing argument about the merits of shorthand. Today I heard an experienced journalist say that shorthand was “essential” for a news reporter and yet he himself had never mastered shorthand and was a deputy editor of a highly prestigious weekly. While other established journalists I know have forgotten any shorthand they’ve learnt or have also never learnt shorthand in the first place. This is especially in the case of magazines I’ve done work experience at, hours of transcribing other people’s interview will attest to that (and it’s really surprising the dodgy recordings some established journalists will make too). While learning shorthand is time consuming and you may still have trouble deciphering the notes afterwards.
On the other hand I realise that news writing is an essential skill for a journalist to have, and that my handwriting can be pretty hard to read at the best of times, let alone when I’m frantically jotting down a member of the public’s opinions. While Kim Fletcher, chairman of the NCTJ, has said shorthand “demonstrates a real dedication to the craft.” It made me wonder if I should have actually done shorthand at uni and done it when I could for free, despite our magazine journalism course director telling us that it wasn’t necessary (a fact which shocked a journalist at one of my placements). So far I haven’t really felt I’ve needed it too badly whilst at Catch but then again I really do not like transcribing, especially when you have to keep rewinding to get that one incomprehensible sentence which may or may not be essential. Hmmm only time will tell…
As everyone else so far has included a nice video I’ll follow suit, here’s a lesson on shorthand, it may inspire or detract…
Priscilla
Download the latest issue of Catch 22 Magazine
You’ve nailed it. I studied journalism at uni too and that was our tutors exact opinon. In fact, it wasn’t even on the curriculum when I started and I paid £100 of my own cash to learn it. It hurt even more when the students in the following year demand if be part of their course (they were paying three times more in fees to be fair).
But it does seem to be a case of horses for courses. If you’re aiming to work for a paper it’s invaluable because you’ll be spending so much more time interviewing people than you would if working on a mag.
But then, with the employment market more like a battle field, it can’t hurt to have as many strings to your bow for taking out the competition!
Pingback: Be careful, you might catch something! « Catch 22 blog