CNN Teams Up With the FAA for Reporter Drones

The cable network is upping its efforts to include unmanned aerial vehicles into its newsgathering

by Michael O'Connell

Consumers may still be waiting for their toilet paper to arrive by drone, but unmanned aerial vehicles will soon help deliver their cable news.

CNN announced Monday that it has entered a deal with the Federal Aviation Administration to integrate drones into its newsgathering and reporting.

"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," said CNN senior vp David Vigilante. "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 pact, technically dubbed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, will integrate CNN's existing research collaboration on drones with Georgia Tech Research Institute. The new partnership is already underway, and the FAA will use the existing data to best decide how to use drones in reporting.
 
"Unmanned aircraft offer news organizations significant opportunities," added FAA administrator Michael Huerta. "We hope this agreement with CNN and the work we are doing with other news organizations and associations will help safely integrate unmanned newsgathering technology and operating procedures into the National Airspace System."
 
Drones are hard to avoid in the media these days. Just yesterday, the Golden Globes set a drone lose above its red carpet.