Statute - Comments after Prague 2007
Italian proposals Jan. 2006
Final proposal 27/03/03
Synopsis of Proposals
Proposal for a new Statute
Considerations on the Statute
Constitution Roma 2003
|
Sorry, this page is not available in Turkish
CONSIDERATIONS
ON THE INTERSTENO STATUTE
|
Prepared by the Intersteno President - Fausto Ramondelli - February 2002
|
Preliminary
remarks
The 44th INERSTENO Congress in July 2003 is
intended to follow the process begun during the Central Committee meetings held
in Palermo in September 2000, for the impulse given also by the Italian
National Group.
The reform of INTERSTENO cannot avoid passing
through the proceedings fixed in the statute rules, namely Rule 16, that for
amendments of statutes a quorum of two thirds of the expressed votes is
requested, in an extraordinary assembly convoked by the board (President, five
Vice-Presidents, and the Secretary General), valid with the presence of three
fourths of the national groups.
The reform of a Body with a history such as
that of INTERSTENO cannot be achieved episodically. Its necessary to base the
reform proposals upon some ideas and only after drawing the details of the
amendments. The intent of this document is to put forward a base for the
discussion, first of all for the Central Committee members in view of the
meeting that will be held in September 2002. In that seating it will be
possible to define a global proposal of statute modification to be approved by
the extraordinary assembly to be convoked in the Rome Congress.
Aims of INTERSTENO
First of all its necessary to make more
adequate the aims list of the Organization, being aware that for several years
the means at disposal for the treatment of communication are achieving relevant
improvements, especially from a technological profile; it would be restrictive
to limit the interest of our Federation to typewriting and shorthand, two
matters that represent the historical and cultural heritage and the
intellectual basis for the reporting profession. There is the concrete risk
that technology passes by following its ineluctable path, leaving us behind
asking ourselves why our totality has become so reduced. The incredible
development of the Internet, helped by the empowering of computers, the massive
impact of communications on society, the progressive digitization of events (audio,
video, images), the spreading request of information, and the globalization of
social life propose a concept of reporting much more extended compared with
the past. The professional of communication treatment is nowadays asked to use
his/her capabilities together with the means at ones disposal for making
available events in various forms and to various users all over the world.
Reporting to the Internet, captioning for the hearing impaired, Webcasting
audio and video clips, speech recognition, audio-video-text synchronization,
and videoconferencing are only a few examples demonstrating how enlarged the
market is where the reporter (latu sensu) can be the leading actor.
Therefore its a must for INTERSTENO to offer
the cultural and scientific environment where professionals of reporting from
all over the world find stimulus and adequate answers. Needed is a special effort for involving
young people interested in the reporting profession (i.e., developing educational
and labor projects) and, noting reporting companies that have sprung up in the
past ten years, being aware that the need for reporting will not fail to appear
also in countries where so far there is scarce demand.
INTERSTENO structure
The structure of INTERSTENO in national groups
shows limits under the profile of effectiveness and representation; limits that
should be afforded with courage and trust. The majority of national groups
reflect the history of local associations eventually peopled, that in any case
are not able to represent the variegated world of people potentially concerned
with the Body activity. Intellectual honesty leads us to recognize that in many
cases national associations throughout various difficulties cannot fully take
to INTERSTENO scientific and technological achievements related to reporting
activities, and sometimes they become an impeding brake (restraint) or an
obstacle against professional and cultural phenomena that indeed exist in many
countries but remain strangers to our Organization.
Therefore its necessary to enlarge the
possibility of individual membership to INTERSTENO by the means of a
transformation toward the form of international association where local
associations, students, professionals, teachers, and institutions take part
irrespective of any national relation. The Association should aim to offer to
each member the right reason to adhere and to pay a fee: information, sharing
scientific and educational projects, international contests, enlarging working
opportunities, professional socialization and camaraderie, and access to forums
and virtual assistance nets.
A new structure requests also a modification of
officials' functions. The need for providing the Organization with a more
stable and effective leading panel has been stressed many times, in order to
guarantee the continuity in management of activities and to give an upgraded
satisfaction to members' expectations. The role of President, so far strictly
limited to the organization of the Congress, should transform into a leading
activity and rely upon associates trust by means of a more or less tight form
of election. The Secretary General, who is the only stable official according
to the current statute, should be accompanied by other executive members
(budget keeper, vice-presidents, etc.) in order to help him in activities
management. Representation of the geographical areas can be achieved with
proper solutions, even without a strict form of organization by national
groups.
The aim of a real scientific and cultural
contribution through the production of updated information in order to satisfy
the needs of members suggests constituting a technical-scientific board whose
aim is to coordinate the studying activities and to finalize the research
projects.
Congresses and other public events
Congresses should remain a point of reference
for the INTERSTENO activities, but it's necessary to trend away from the
concept, no longer bearable, of "Congresses of the hosting country"
implying exaggerated financial risks and not satisfying the general expectations
of participating members. As the Rome Congress is intended to demonstrate, it's
possible to organize shorter Congress meetings, abandoning old organizational
patterns justified only with tradition but lacking relevant scientific and
cultural meaning. Rather it is necessary to make sure that the information flow
is kept constant by means of the massive use of Internet potentialities and
possibly a periodical magazine. If there will be the conditions, more meetings
will be convoked concerning specific themes, while the Congress will remain the
occasion for associative life and for the finalization of studies, projects,
and inquiries concerning scientific and cultural profiles.
International contests
World championships continue to be an important
reason for interest for new generations and they highlight the fact that
technological improvements are not unlinked to a parallel growth of human
capabilities. Therefore it's necessary to keep up to date with the contests'
rules and with the prompt introduction of new competitions in order to reflect
the continuing progress. Unfortunately, the long proceedings that so far have
regulated the definition of competitions' rules have guaranteed the
participation of all the national responsible individuals even regarding the
details of each single aspect but have obstacled the effectiveness and the
promptness of decisions which perhaps represent an even more important value.
It's time to set free the executive board agenda from discussion about
absolutely secondary details of competition which can easily be left in charge
to Jury Presidents and other cooperators deemed useful, even as the Central
Committee or other representative boards can always ask to verify and evaluate.
Plus, competition rules should be adequate for
each edition to the organizational needs, which can be different according to
the hosting country and to the time limits. From this point of view, it will be
possible to organize also virtual competitions, as the Congress of Rome is
intended to do.
It's also effective to go beyond the
traditional division of juries (typewriting and shorthand) which is limiting in
view of the questions involved with the evolution of techniques and
technologies and implying a wasting of resources (human, first of all). Think
of the possibility (not forbidden in the current rules) of participating in the
typewriting contest using a shorthand machine or even speech-recognition
software. (What is typewriting? What is shorthand? What is hard-copy reproduction?
What other verbatim information-processing techniques might there
be?) Think of how many dictators, time
checkers, correctors, and so on are called for in the typewriting and shorthand
competitions. Although all these people
have been working very hard for the main part of the Congress, it's not yet
been possible to arrange a live competition with results highlighted on a
screen accessible to the public and press!
In the same logic, the production of united
rules where the main requirements for all the competitions are dealt with is
deemed necessary. For each edition
rules can be specified according to the technical advancement and to the
organizational questions.
Conclusions
The INTERSTENO President, supported by the
President of the Organizing Committee of the 44th Congress and by the whole
Italian National Group, puts this document to the attention of the Central
Committee members in order to obtain comments and suggestions. In the meeting
of Madrid (September 2002), a formal proposal for the modification of the
statute will be presented.
Fausto
Ramondelli
|
|