A drone could be a camera mounted to a remote control helicopter, but, Matt Waite says on his blog, “imagine the reporting potential of more sophisticated platforms like the Gatewing X100.” Photo from gatewing.com.
Well, the program is just getting off the ground – and its drones aren’t quite there yet – but this will be something to keep an eye on in 2012.
On Friday, prof. Matt Waite of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln published a blog post announcing the Drone Journalism Lab as part of the University’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
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“With the FAA set to open the nation’s airways to civilian unmanned aircraft,” Waite wrote, “the potential uses for drones outside of the military are starting to open up. And that raises a question: Could you do journalism from a drone?”
Waite, who’s in his second year at the University and is active in the Omaha chapter of Hacks/Hackers – a group bringing together journalists and developers – carries a passion for innovation in journalism.
Prior to teaching at Nebraska, Waite gained recognition at the St. Petersburg Times for developing Politifact, the first website to win a Pulitzer Prize.
As a news startup ourselves, we’re interested in innovation in the industry, so expect us to cover what Waite is up to in the coming year. In the meantime, check out the program’s blog, “Drone Journalism,” its about page and the video below, which Waite calls an application of the drone technology. The program has already picked up two pieces of notable press and a great blog Q&A, all worth the read:
- The Verge: “Drone Journalism Lab takes reporting to the sky“
- Washington Post: “Drone journalism? The idea could fly in the U.S.“
- Palewire: “Q&A: Matt Waite on the founding of the Drone Journalism Lab“
Video from latajacakamera on YouTube
Photo Credit: Photo of Waite from unl.edu
