Noting reactions to drones for journalism
I’ll admit: I expected privacy concerns. I expected the “OMG the MEDIA has PREDATORS” tweets. And I expected people to ask if they could shoot down a drone over their property.
But I didn’t expect UFOs.
For the record, and in case you don’t click the links, no, there weren’t UFO’s over a protest in Moscow. It was a drone mounted camera. You can read more about that on this very blog here.
It’s easy to dismiss this, but it raises a question of markings. Should journalists clearly mark their tiny aircraft with “PRESS” or something similar? And, how exactly do you do that on such a small craft? It’s easy to brand a news helicopter — plenty of surface area to mark up. However, it’s not so easy to put visible branding or markings on a ultra lightweight RC helicopter. Should you?
— Matt Waite
