While 2016 has seen a rise in the usage of drones for conventional and commercial purposes, we have also seen these handy little buzzards change the way different industries operate and function, as they can be used for several different purposes. They have been restricted by several aviation norms and laws that prevent their usage in a lot of areas. But that hasn’t stopped the industry from utilizing the technology available to its fullest potential.
From delivery services to rescue operations to media coverage, drones have been useful for many industry giants. The one field that went all out in using drone technology though, has been news-media. They took all the advantage they could from the emerging technology in aerial photography and videography and have been using drones to record footage in situations where sending a human cameraman would have been risky or impossible, at times. Not to mention the fact that Drones provide an aerial view from nearly every angle possible and can be controlled over a short distance, which make them much better than manually trying to cover a public event or incidence.
Some instances of Drone Usage in News Media have stood out compared to other drones. For example, American Newspaper, The New York Times used drones extensively in their media reporting and journalistic footage during 2016. They even wrote and released a story on how the use of drones has transformed their approach towards journalism. A story on the impact of the Syrian Civil War on Aleppo captured using drone footage was featured on the front page, and, realizing the impact drones had on coverage, the newspaper put together a list of top stories it told through drone footage across the world.
Drone Footage of the Aleppo Bombings
Another media channel that used drones extensively for journalism would be CNN which launched a team specifically for flying and operating drones as part of expanded news coverage. The network used drones to improve their television news coverage by flying drones which provided the benefits of aerial news vehicles like Helicopters while needing much lesser manpower and money while being much safer.
CNN Launched a Dedicated Drone Team for its Aerial News Coverage
While the use of drones has almost completely transformed the News industry, lawmakers and governments have been rather sceptical about drones and are still trying to implement laws that promote safer usage of drones. While drones do come with several benefits, they also have their own drawbacks. Drones flying too high can sometimes cause problems for aircrafts in civilian airspace. Drone manufacturers are working on this by implementing modern methods like geo-fencing and collision avoidance systems.
