Here & There Column 4-15-14

  Aerial drones, long associated with the military, increasingly have been adapted for civilian use and media both inside and outside the United States are using drones in news coverage.

  In early February of this year as police responded to a deadly car crash in Connecticut, they noticed a remote-controlled aircraft, equipped with a video camera, hovering over the wreckage.

  With this occurrence the Federal Aviation Administration opened an investigation of the drone, which was used by an on-call employee for a Connecticut television station.

  The FAA is now developing new rules as the technology makes drones far more versatile, but for now operators can run afoul of regulations by using them for commercial purposes including journalism.

  For over 58-years I have worked as a journalist, editor, publisher  and columnist and I've witnessed many abuses by reporters in their quest to get the story and pictures no matter what and that included having no respect for others.

  The Connecticut car crash involved having a dead body still on the scene in which the victim's body was left hanging out of a mangled car.....not something you want the victim's family to see.

  Drones hold appeal for journalist because they allow new perspectives and  much more access but there needs to be some strong regulations and ethical standards put in place for what type of photos and videos can be published.

  Government many times gets involved where they don't belong but because the work of journalism is so public it stands to face more government scrutiny in their use of drones.