College of the North Atlantic (CNA) went where no Canadian journalism school had gone before last year and now it is making sure its students get there safely and ethically.
While regulation has, for the moment, curtailed drone journalism in Canada, College of the North Atlantic journalism instructor Jeff Ducharme believes that a code of ethics and operation should be in place for when the technology becomes commonplace for reporters. Ducharme has written just such a code and will use it when instructing his students on the use of drones for news gathering.
CNA was the first post-secondary institution in Canada to announce instruction in drone journalism. There are only four post-secondary institutions in all of North America currently teaching drone journalism, and besides CNA, the only other Canadian institution offering it is Langara College in B.C.
The code penned by Ducharme covers 21 points from ethics to laws to operation. He expects the code will evolve with the technology as new issues and challenges arise.
“There is concern in the public about drone journalism and the potential invasion of privacy,” said Ducharme. “And I think it’s incumbent on us to put something in place to address those concerns.”
The Drone Journalism Code does that, says Ducharme.
“Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, in journalism and other professions are becoming common. In journalism, we have to show that we can operate these craft in a responsible, safe and unobtrusive way,” said Ducharme.
“There is far too much misinformation out there about what drones are capable of or how they might be used. I think that if the public knows such a code exists and if most media outlets adopt it in full or a form thereof, then the public will see that we can and will operate in a responsible matter.”
College of the North Atlantic offers a two-year diploma and one-year post-diploma journalism program. Drone journalism is taught as part of the program’s photojournalism course.
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Media contact:
Stephen Lee
Manager of Marketing and Communications
College of the North Atlantic
709 643-7721
stephen.lee@cna.nl.ca