After a drone hovered over a fatal car crash on February 1 in Hartford, Connecticut, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering whether an on-call employee of a TV station violated regulations banning drone use. The FAA is currently drafting specific rules for the use of drones by commercial interests. (Hartford Courant, February 7, 2014, by Hilda Munoz)
Drones cost as little as $500 and can give journalists access to news events otherwise difficult to reach by other means. But there are a number of safety and privacy concerns to balance against the principles of a free press. (Associated Press, February 11, 2014, by Michael Melia)