Media coalition letter to FAA about proposed drone regulations
On March 2, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press joined a news media coalition in urging the Federal Aviation Administration to amend proposed regulations that would require journalists to ensure that any newsgathering drone be outfitted to identify its owner and operator. In comments filed by Ballard Spahr LLP, the coalition argued, among other things, that the proposed regulations would allow law enforcement and the public to track journalists in real time, potentially compromising journalistic independence, access, and safety. According to the coalition’s comments, the relevant rules “constitute impermissible government surveillance of a journalist’s drone operations in violation of the First Amendment.”