FAA Ban On Drone Journalism Challenged

More than a dozen news media organizations, including The Associated Press, The New York Times Company and The Washington Post, yesterday challenged the Federal Aviation Administration's ban on the use of drones by journalists, saying it violates the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press.

The organizations filed a brief in support of an aerial photographer who was fined $10,000 by the FAA for flying a drone near the University of Virginia to make a commercial video.

The FAA won't currently issue drone permits to news organizations, and journalists who've used the small, unmanned aircraft have been fined. The brief argues, "The FAA's position is untenable and its rests on a fundamental misunderstanding about journalism. News gathering is not a 'business purpose.' It is a First Amendment right."


News organizations like using drones because they can get visual perspectives that it would otherwise be hard to get, and because they are much less expensive to buy and operate than a manned airplane or helicopter.