Wait, You Want Me to Fit a Drone into My Journalism Toolkit!?
If you feel like you’re hearing a lot about drones these days, well, that’s because interest in them is booming. Just about everyday, stories about drone technology breakthroughs, futuristic use case examples and — yes — high-profile mishaps and misdeeds are increasingly circulating throughout our news feeds.
Americans are likely to spend $130 million on 400,000 drones this year. The Consumer Electronics Association predicts annual sales will approach one million units in the next four years. And the Federal Aviation Administration says private drones will be a $90 billion industry in the next decade.
However as the popularity and curiosity ascends for operating these aviation marvels in the skies above us, so too does much of the confusion and uncertainty for what exactly are the ‘rules of engagement’ for flying drones — both current and near future.
Right now, widespread commercial use of drones is essentially prohibited by the FAA while the government agency determines proper regulations for flight operations.
The FAA recently started granting exemptions for farmers, real estate agents, surveyors and even some video production companies that want to use drones for Hollywood movies and music videos. They have also created six drone test sites across the U.S. to experiment with new types of aircraft.
Change is coming, eventually. Just not as quickly as many interested stakeholders would like.
For many news and media organizations, the proverbial dust settling and potential game-changing applications for news production and reporting cannot occur fast enough.
CNN announced in January that it has come to an agreement with the FAA: The news network will be allowed to test drone systems for newsgathering.
“Our aim is to get beyond hobby-grade equipment and to establish what options are available and workable to produce high-quality video journalism using various types of UAVs and camera setups,” CNN Senior Vice President David Vigilante, said in a press release.
How might a drone be used in journalism? The obvious possibilities include aerial shots that are usually supplied by (decidedly more costly to operate/maintain) helicopters — aftermath of natural disaster scenes, monitoring search and rescue events and area traffic updates come to mind.
There’s also something to be said about upping the ante of production qualities for higher end video pieces. Suddenly routine reporter video stand-ups aren’t so routine.
However before wholesale regulations come down — however the case, whenever the timing — now is a perfectly opportune time to further engage in hearty dialogue focused on many of the open-ended questions surrounding drones for news media purposes.
Significant issues facing news operations and their potential use of drone technology include:
Technical capabilities: What benefits can drones provide? What are current capabilities (camera payload, range, duration of use, live vs. stored media)? What is happening with costs? What are most popular vehicle category/types for news media companies entering drone space? What’s ahead for new capabilities?
Technical challenges: How difficult are drones to use? What does learning curve look like? Who handles training? Is current conventional wisdom such that flying a drone will require a special operator? (e.g. not the type of role that, say a producer or photographer would pick up in addition to normal newsgathering responsibilities)
Aforementioned current legal constraints: Who can legally fly a drone? When, if ever is it acceptable? Are there certain areas (designated testing, rural, etc.)? What are the penalties if cited? How aggressively are flight restrictions being enforced and by whom?
Most likely regulations once the federal government does act: What should commercial entities expect in terms of operational protocols, pilot certification, safety restrictions, etc.?
Safety concerns: What precautions will be necessary to ensure people and property are not harmed when drones are in use? Could we see a situation where drones are only authorized to fly in sparsely populated areas?
Ethical dilemmas facing journalists: Will the (potential) pervasiveness and reach of drones with cameras buzzing overhead breach the public’s trust and expectations of privacy? What, if any, legal precedents can be expected in terms of gathering footage of individuals inside their home or private property?
I’ll reluctantly apply one of those timeless newsroom adages: at this point we’re stuck with more questions than answers.
We can choose to patiently sit and wait for answers to come in like a drone with the ‘return-to-home’ feature.
Or we can rally smart dialogue inclusive of smart people and perspectives to socialize these challenges, opportunities and most importantly — foster new ideas and relationships across industries.
Which is why I’m so excited for Online News Association San Diego hosting a special event Thursday focused squarely on the drones + news media space and current/evolving challenges and opportunities.
In a first-of-its-kind event, ONA SD presents an in-depth panel discussion featuring national and local insiders examining issues facing drones for use by local news media organizations.
ONA SD welcomes experts from San Diego’s legal, drone and journalism community, as well as one of the most respected voices in the drone journalism space, for a free panel discussion complete with opening reception and networking event.
Matt Waite, Journalism Professor, Univ. Nebraska-Lincoln
Michael Curran, Practicing civil trial and aviation attorney
Matt Triplow, Drone hobbyist/enthusiast, founder of Aerialographer.com
Lucien Miller, CEO, Innov8tive Designs
Chance Roth, Founder San Diego Drone User Group
Don Shafer, News Director, XETV San Diego
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Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015 | 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
San Diego Union-Tribune
350 Camino de la Reina, San Diego
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As I’ve been quick to inform expected attendees, our time together Thursday isn’t about defining the ‘drone playbook’ and walking away at the end of the evening with all our questions answered.
Rather it’ll serve as an important discussion within ((hopefully)) an ongoing series of hearty and thoughtful dialogue points in the months and years ahead.
ONA SD’s intent with this particular event is to serve the local digital journalism community with latest, current information on this rapidly-changing space while pulling in influential players from San Diego’s vast drone, journalism and legal communities.
The event is free and open to the public. Don’t forget to RSVP here.
Can’t make it to San Diego this week? No worries… follow the discussion on Twitter at #onadrones and use the hashtag to ask your questions in advance of Thursday’s event.
