Drone, meaning bee and buzz in English, is the name given to vehicles controlled by remote control and command, called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Thanks to their ability to record videos and images, drones have also been widely used in the media field in recent years, leading to the emergence of a new profession: Drone journalism.
Drones appear as multi-purpose tools that can be used in many areas such as defense, intelligence, agricultural spraying, photography, search and rescue, meteorology, and cartography. It even came to the fore that Amazon would use drones in cargo transportation. Facebook has been working for a long time to distribute internet to regions where there is no internet access in Africa via drones.
A new profession called drone journalism came into our lives with the use of drones in journalism activities. Being able to obtain high-quality video and images thanks to drones provides great advantages in the field of journalism. While people couldn't reach the area due to radiation in the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident, information about the situation of the accident could be obtained with drones. Considering that in the past, only major press organizations had the opportunity to raise a helicopter during important events, and this could be done at a very high cost, drone journalism is gaining more and more importance in the field of journalism as it is fast, cost-effective, easily accessible, expand newsmaking opportunities and facilitates news gathering. Drones allow quick and easy photo and video capture in situations where it is difficult to take images such as of social events, flood disasters, earthquakes, and fires.
Drone journalism is relatively new as an occupation that adheres to various professional and ethical rules. Individuals who obtain a drone license by meeting the conditions determined in accordance with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Instruction of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation and the Civil Aviation Law in Turkey must register their drones of 500 gr and above in the SGHM UAV Registration System and have it approved. They can then fly drones with the permission of the governorship and district governorships.es and facilitates news gathering.
It is forbidden to fly drones on top of airports and their surroundings, prohibited areas, areas where military facilities and security buildings are located, crowded areas, and prisons. While these restrictions pose an obstacle for journalists, other ethical issues also come to the fore. Security, violation of privacy, violations of journalism professional ethics, and problems related to public security can be discussed in the context of drone journalism.
Although drone journalism is new as a field of specialization, drone journalism training programs are being opened in universities, and drone journalists' professional associations are emerging. As can be expressed in light of this information, drone technology has been instrumental in several innovations in the field of journalism so far with the possibilities it has created. It will likely emerge as a wider field of expertise in the coming years with the innovations and transformations it will create in the field, as it is still in a structure open to initiatives.
Resources:
https://www.newslabturkey.org/2018/10/16/drone-gazeteciligi/
https://paperwriter.com/dronejournalism-org
https://www.readcube.com/articles/10.17680%2Ferciyesakademia.345792
https://sonsoz.com.tr/gazetecilikte-yeni-bir-brans-drone-gazeteciligi/
https://dronedj.com/2021/05/03/how-journalists-use-drones/
