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CNN Seals FAA Agreement to Use Drones in News Filming

Ever since personal Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have become as frequent as smartphones, using a flying camera to film your best drfts is far from being the only thing drones are used for. While news agencies world wide are slowly integrating them into journalism use, the US is still missing on a flexible regulation agreement. However, it would seem CNN has managed to find a way to sweeten up the Federal Aviation Administration to advance efforts to integrate them into newsgathering and reporting.
CNN Seals FAA Agreement to Regulate Drone Use in Newsgathering 1 photo
Photo: radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com
Sure, up to some point citizen journalism is already making use of drones to film their reports, but according to current regulations, as long as the footage is of private use there’s nothing illegal about it.

In other words, if you use your personal drone to film an accident that happened in you neighborhood or try to caption the remains of a disaster site nobody will tell you anything. But once the footage is used commercially, then you’re in trouble.

One hand washes the other

Now, CNN says the new cooperation arrangement will integrate efforts from  the Time Warner Inc.’s already existing research partnership with the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). The FAA will use data collected from this initiative to formulate a framework for various types of UAVs to be safely integrated into newsgathering operations. Because yes, the government is currently claiming using drones for journalism is risky.

Well, journalists sure have a different approach on the matter, since the desire of integrating UAVs in their jobs is quite big. In fact, a lot of big news agencies and even some smaller ones are currently buying footage taken by drone owners instead of making them themselves. The US government has been slow to give companies the green light to fly and it’s not only about news making.

As we previously reported, using drones to make a movie is legal, but comes with some clear restrictions. Filmmakers have to notify the FAA three days in advance, only film on a closed set and obtain permission from nearby people.

"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. Our hope is that these efforts contribute to the development of a vibrant ecosystem where operators of various types and sizes can safely operate in the US airspace” the CNN Senior Vice President David Vigilante explained in a statement yesterday.

First Amendment right sort of blocks FAA off

Now, the fact that the FAA hasn’t allowed journalists to use drones for commercial uses has been accused as being against the First Amendment right. The New York Times, Associated Press, Tribune Corporation, McClatchy, Hearst, Washington Post and a host of other media companies filed an amicus brief in federal court in support of drone pilot Raphael Pirker.

The man became the first drone pilot to fight and beat the Federal Aviation Administration after the agency tried to fine him $10,000 for reckless flight of an aircraft.

In a way, it was just a matter of time until the government would loosen up its regulations on commercial use of UAVs, but that doesn’t mean that CNN’s agreement is not a big step on the way journalism will look tomorrow.
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