UAV Drone Use in Journalism

Aerial coverage of news by helicopter has been a staple for media outlets, though an expensive one. An article on TVTechnology.com says that costs can range “from $600,000 to $1 million a year to maintain, fuel, man (two pilots) and fly a chopper on an as-needed basis, at a time when TV stations are cutting news staff to save money.”.

There is often the added let-down of helicopters deployed to a location only to find a false alarm, an incident that is already over or footage that doesn’t add to a story. Most importantly human safety should be paramount yet helicopters are inherently dangerous. In February 2014 a photojournalist and pilot were killed in a fatal crash in Seattle, and in 2007 two news helicopters covering a police chase collided resulting in the deaths of four people.

Drone use for journalism is a much lower-cost and safer option available to new agencies. UAV journalism is on the rise; Ian Hannah of the Professional Society of Drone Journalists says that using drones for gathering news will soon be "very common" and that "a lot of organizations have their own flight departments."

Aretas offers a variety of drones and hardware to meet various news gathering needs. HD video and photography able to wirelessly transmitted footage for immediate airing and editing are becoming wide spread. During nighttime incidents high-tech devices such as FLIR  (Forward Looking Infrared) allow reporters to track incidents in low light situations where standard cameras would be useless.

Drone use in journalism is also very flexible allowing multiple mobile news crews to carry drones with them to deploy at a moments notice. Contact a live Aretas representative today to discuss how we can outfit and train your team for cutting-edge UAV journalism!

Call today (877) 218-6232