drone journalism

Drone journalism is the capture of still images and video by remotely operated or autonomous drones (more formally known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAV) to record events for report by news agencies and citizen media.

Drone journalism, like drone photography in general, enables the gathering of information about events and persons of interest from a distance or altitude. In that way, it can often survey subjects that could not otherwise be monitored because of heights, angles and other environmental factors. Drones’ small size, their ability to fly and their ability to tolerate harsh environments mean that they can survey subjects and events in places that people cannot easily go, such as a volcano or a war zone.

Drone journalism is often used to get stories that might go unreported due to risk of personal injury to reporters. However, there are still risks, including those related to loss or damage of the drone and potential legalities.

See also: drone surveillance