Earlier Posting..
A coalition of media organizations and press groups are crying foul on a proposed law in California governing the use of drones, according to The Hill.
The law, called Senate Bill 142, makes it a trespass violation to fly an unmanned aerial system (UAS) lower than 350 feet above private property “without express permission of the person or entity with the legal authority to grant access or without legal authority.”
The groups, including professional organizations like the Society of Professional Journalists and outlets like CNN and the parent company of the Los Angeles Times, said in a letter Thursday to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) that this restriction will make it incredibly difficult for reporters to use drones for newsgathering purposes.
“The proposed California legislation also poses a serious risk to the uses by journalists to gather and disseminate the news to the public, and the public’s right to receive news, as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article 1, Section 2(a) of the California Constitution,” the groups told Brown. “Therefore, we urge that you veto this bill to allow time to further evaluate sound UAS policy and consider its full legal and detrimental impact.”
The groups added that it would be “daunting if not impossible” for journalists to get the needed consent, which they said was vaguely defined, to use drones — particularly during breaking news events.
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