Journalism is a field that, like many other fields, is quickly evolving in terms of technology. Technology plays a part in every aspect of people’s lives. Technology is making tasks easier, faster, safer, and more efficient. In terms of technology, journalism has been blessed with things like digital audio recorders, YouTube, Google Maps, and many other inventions, thus making the job of the journalist easier, safer, quicker and more efficient. There is another piece of technology that would make the field of journalism safer, but there may be some problems with it. This piece of technology is the usage and application of drones. Even though drones can be expensive, can invade privacy, and is a controversy in the legal realm, I believe that drones should be used in journalism.

So, in order to understand why this can be useful and a problem for journalism, drone journalism must first be explained. According to the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy, an interdisciplinary research center run jointly out of the UNC School of Law and UNC School of Media and Journalism, “’Drone journalism’ refers to the use of ‘unmanned aerial vehicles’ (UAVs) or ‘unmanned aerial systems’ (UAS) for journalistic purposes” (UNC 1). Many news outlets and media companies, such as New York Times Co. and NBCUniversal, are already planning on using drones in order to get information from places too far away or too dangerous for normal reporting methods.

The uses of drones for journalism purposes are many, and news outlets see the opportunity. News centers are pushing to get this legalized with no hindrances. As of now, the commercial use of drones is largely considered illegal. The Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) is in charge of making regulations for drones, and so far they have made very few. The best laws the United States has for this issue is geared toward airplanes and hobbyists. So, until these regulations are created by the FFA and enacted by the US government, commercial use of drones is almost completely illegal. Chuck Tobin – attorney - and Matt Waite - University of Nebraska professor - talked at a National Press Club event in 2014 about this issue. "Drone journalism is an evolving area," Tobin stated, “with problems that stem from personal, legal, ethical and monetary aspects” (Aldrich 1). However, in February of 2015, the FAA board members got together and gave the public an idea of what the FAA intends to do on the matter. According to Matt Waite, writer for Nieman Labs, “Put simply, drones for journalism becomes very possible and very legal under these rules. Only a few things wouldn’t be allowed, and they’re minor in the grand scheme of things” (Waite 1). This could mean great things for drone usage in journalism. However, these are just proposed laws and intentions; it is quite possible that the FAA could scrap most or all of it and then take longer deciding on what to do with this interesting topic.

The FAA released a summary sheet of what they intend to do with drone usage in journalism. To summarize the points in this document: the aircraft must be less than fifty-five pounds, people would not need a license to fly one, a background check on whoever is flying the drone would be performed, the drone would have to be registered by the FAA, the pilot cannot drive above people who are not involved in the operation, and there also other permissions that must be obtained (Waite 1). Other than these restrictions and the already existing laws, journalists could do whatever they wanted with the drones in order to gather information.

Of course, this is not the end of the road in achieving the right to use drones in journalism. There are many legal and ethical hoops to jump through. Not only that, the rules written by the FAA must be passed by the FAA, and then Congress must approve it. What hoops does this issue have to jump through still? Well, even if journalists could use drones, some foreign countries have outright banned the use of drones altogether. An example of a country that has done this would be Kenya. Dana Sanchez, one of the writers of AFK Insider, stated “The Kenyan government banned drones for civilian use on January 15th. The ordinance advised operators to seek permission from the Ministry of Defense to fly a drone, but it was technically a ban” (Sanchez 1).

On the other hand, there are countries that are taking a more progressive approach to drone usage; an approach that may help the United States in her efforts to get drone usage in journalism legalized. “France, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden and the U.K. are among the world’s most progressive countries when it comes to introducing drone technologies in their airspace” (Sanchez 1). These are countries that are taking progressive actions toward this issue, and they have statistics to back it up too. “Drones allow farmers to survey their farms and they let emergency services get important information at a fraction of the cost of a helicopter. In journalism, the technology is a low-cost alternative to aerial imaging, and opens up ‘amazing possibilities in storytelling, for example producing 3D models, live casting, data and sensor gathering and producing content for virtual reality platforms,’ Olewe said” (Qtd in Sanchez 1). If the United States sees the possibility of drone usage these countries, then the US may take a more progressive stand on this topic and attempt to push for more legislation at a quicker rate.

It is understandable why countries such as the US would be hesitant on a topic like this. Many people are opposed to the use of drones altogether, thinking it to be morally wrong and not a safe alternative to conventional journalism. Matt Waite talked about some instances as to why drones would not be beneficial to journalism or any other area of work. “Waite emphasized safety issues associated with small drones, citing two widely circulated drone videos. Of Amazon's video showing a package delivered by a small drone with circulating helicopter-like blades, he said that if a child anticipating the package reached for it, her finger could be cut off by the blades. Of a video showing a drone flying through fireworks, he said that if it had hit one firework fragment, burning plastic could have dropped on children watching the fireworks” (Aldrich 1). Aldrich also stated that widespread drone usage could make poaching easier and could also invade personal aspects of peoples’ lives. However, I think that the positives for drone usage far outweigh the negatives. Most of the negatives, such as personal invasion issues, the poaching issue, and the firework scenario, could be solved very easily with simple regulations stating where and when drones could fly and also have strict regulations on who can have drones. Also, to combat the Amazon video scenario, children could simply be educated to not go near drones in flight.

In conclusion, I believe that drone usage in journalism would be beneficial to the United States and other countries that chose to adopt such policies. It would keep journalists out of the danger while attempting to cover stories. Also, drone usage could be used in other aspects of life, such as farming. There are many ways as to how drone usage can be beneficial. Also, the field of drone usage is growing, so it will need regulations that the FAA decide on. It will also need people willing to put time into a project such as this. According to AFK Insider’s Dana Sanchez, “Between now and 2025, $82.1 billion will be spent on drones in the U.S. alone, according to the Association for Unmanned Vehicles International. The industry is expected to generate 100,000 high-paying jobs, 70 percent of them within three years — and all in the civilian-commercial sector, BusinessDayLive reports. If the U.S. does not get its legislation in place quickly, the industry could lose $10 billion,” (Sanchez 1). This quote clearly shows how the US needs to get caught up with other countries around the world and need to get legislation in place so sectors, such as journalism, can use drones to their advantage and help advance in that aspect.

Works Cited

Aldrich, Lorna. "Drone Journalism Raises Legal, Safety, Ethical Issues." National Press Club. The National Press Club, 24 July 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.

"Drone Journalism and the Law." UNC Center for Media Law and Policy. UNC, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.

Sanchez, Dana. "6 Countries Pull Ahead In Drone Regulations; Others Just Ban Them." AFKInsider. AFK Insider, 10 July 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.

Waite, Matt. "New Rules Governing Drone Journalism Are on the Way — and There’s Reason to Be Optimistic." Nieman Labs. N.p., 15 Feb. 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.