CNN has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRDA) with the US regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will see the introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into the newsgathering and reporting process.
CNN senior vice president David Vigilante said: "Our aim is to get beyond hobby-grade equipment and to establish what options are available and workable to produce high quality video journalism using various types of UAVs and camera setups."
"Our hope is that these efforts contribute to the development of a vibrant ecosystem where operators of various types and sizes can safely operate in the US airspace."
The latest research integrates efforts from CNN’s existing research collaboration with the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), signed in June, which is aimed at discovering the finest and safest means of deploying drones for news gathering.
Data from this effort will be shared with the FAA, which will enable the preparation of a framework for a range of UAVs to be safely integrated into newsgathering operations.
FAA administrator Michael Huerta said: "Unmanned aircraft offer news organisations significant opportunities."
"We hope this agreement with CNN and the work we are doing with other news organisations and associations will help safely integrate unmanned newsgathering technology and operating procedures into the National Airspace System."
