Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
Executive Summary
For the past four months, our team has helped to carve out a public presence for the
Missouri Drone Journalism Program – a collaborative program between the University of
Missouri’s Information Technology and Journalism programs, as well as KBIA-FM. As a byproduct of our close work with the burgeoning program, we became quite involved and wellversed in the growing public debate surrounding the use of drones both internationally and on
U.S. grounds. The sensation that we were involved in something bigger than the program itself
became apparent only three weeks into the semester – when the program was invited to attend a
preliminary hearing for a bill that aimed to, in large part, prohibit the use of drones for most
purposes in the state of Missouri.
The upfront tension and overall attention to the program that we encountered at the
House of Representatives’ preliminary hearing on February 5 would only widen in scope as the
semester progressed. At least 10 external web, print and broadcast stories have given mention to
the Missouri Drone Journalism Program.
The unique, six-student reporting corps have learned to incorporate drone footage into indepth environmental reporting over the course of the semester. Our team has learned quite a bit
over that time as well, especially when it comes to blog regulation in the face of media inquiries.
In at least one situation, a news outlet directly quoted a member of our team based off of a blog
post – leading us to post contact policies and reminding us that posts can be considered fair game
by at least some external sources as a statement from the program itself.
Beginning with after-hours flight training and running on through the progress made on
late-semester team stories, our capstone team also learned to always be prepared to rapidly
follow the program wherever the wind might blow it (sometimes quite literally) on a daily basis.
The Tucker Prairie burn (see page 8), for instance, was scheduled late the night beforehand and
was completed within a three hour window midday on a Tuesday. We had to be ready to grab
equipment and go just about anywhere to attain coverage and perspective on the program, and
had a near perfect success rate in adjusting to and documenting these ventures.
On the blog itself, our team provided a multimedia experience that included an audio
story of the legislative hearing (page 3), visual description of the class layout through posting the
official class syllabus, posting thorough research stories regarding the world of drone technology
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
(pages 4-7 & 8-11) and perhaps most strongly presenting behind-the-scenes, documentary-style
videos depiciting the people of the program (pages 7 & 8).
We have provided a public identity for a promising drone journalism program that is only
poised to grow in reporting capabilities moving forward. While we move onto other areas of life
beyond the University of Missouri, we hope that missouridronejournalism.com and all of the
site’s content serves similarly: as a good start. As the program moves on to even bigger droneassisted reporting opportunities, we know that the program’s online footprint will need to
continue to grow proportionally, and look forward to observing both the reporting from and
about the program will continue to reach new heighths.
A Sample of Our Team’s Documented Production:
Proposed legislation aims to outlaw drones in Missouri……………….Page 3
Prairie Burn Story Research……………………………………...........Pages 3-4
Getting to know the Drones…………………………………………......Pages 4-7
Cade Cleavelin: Drone Journalist…………………………………………Page 7
NBC Camera Operator Discusses Drones in Broadcast TV.................Page 8
Program Reports on a Prairie Fire: Behind the Scenes……................Page 8
What Flies When it Comes to Drone Laws Across the Globe……..Pages 8-11
Journalists from Pakistan visit the MDJP……………………........Pages 11-12
Korean Journalists Observe a Class, Drones in Flight………….Pages 12-13
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
Proposed legislation aims to outlaw drones in Missouri
February 11, 2013
Drones are proving to be a polarizing topic with their growth in the public eye.
The rise of these flying, video-capturing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (or UAVs) has excited some
with the promise of overhead landscape views never before possible.
The domestic use of such vehicles has also been met with criticism and claims of privacy
invasion, prompting several states to propose legislation to halt their use.
Missouri has joined the list, as State Rep. Casey Guernsey introduced and defended his proposed
Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act at a House Agri-Business Committee
hearing on Feb. 5.
The bill, which has yet to gain another hearing date, “prohibits the use of a drone or other
unmanned aircraft to gather evidence or other information with specified exceptions.”
**ACCOMPANYING AUDIO CLIPS:
http://www.missouridronejournalism.com/2013/02/proposed-legislation-aims-to-outlaw-dronesin-missouri/
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Prairie Burn Story Research
February 20, 2013
This past Friday afternoon, some of the journalism students working on the project traveled over
to the Prairie Fork Conservation Area near Williamsburg, Missouri to follow up on a possible
story idea. Prairie Fork is an example of one of the few existing prairie lands in Missouri, and is
part of an ongoing project by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to convert and
maintain these lands back to their natural prairie state. The purpose of the visit was to follow up
on a story idea that focused on the MDC’s use of controlled fires to preserve and maintain the
prairie lands. Usually referred to as an “prairie burn,” this process involves igniting man-made
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
fires to help clear the land as well as provide nutrients, encourages biodiversity and seed
development and reduces shrubbery growth.
This is where the Missouri Drone Journalism Program comes in.
In an attempt to use drones in new and emerging ways, the program is hoping to use several
drones to capture aerial video footage of the prairie burn while it is in progress and utilize that
footage as part of a multimedia story about prairie burns in mid-Missouri. The hope is to capture
this prairie burn from angles that wouldn’t be possible using traditional methods, and to
eventually have the story published on KBIA.
Below is a short clip of Jeff Demand, wildlife management biologist from the MDC, explaining
how a prairie burns work, and how members of the MDC plan to direct the prairie burn.
**ACCOMPANYING VIDEO: http://www.missouridronejournalism.com/2013/02/prairie-burnresearch/
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Getting to know the Drones
March 4, 2013
The true stars of the Missouri Drone
Journalism Program are the drones
themselves, or the J-Bots, as the
students pioneering the project have
come to call them. Working with
these Unmanned Aerial Vehicles is
made possible through a partnership with the MU Information Technology Program, in which
under the direction of IT Program lead Matthew Dickinson, students have learned to build and
control the drones. Following are descriptions of the drones at the helm of the Missouri Drone
Journalism Program:
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
- Quadcopter (DJI F450)
The Quadcopter, or “Quad,” is the most basic of the IT Program’s constructed drones and is the
machine type that the Journalism Program’s students have been learning to fly by operating. The
Quadcopter makes use of a hand-held radio transmitter, and runs on an external battery (either 3S
or 4S) that attaches to the drone’s frame, allowing flight life of approximately 17 minutes.
Motorized propellers, which lift the drone to flight, range from eight to ten inches in length. This
drone does not have a camera gimbal, and is intended mainly for training use.
- TBS Discovery Quadcopter
This Quadcopter has been built around a TBS Discovery airframe. The TBS Discovery system
uses an APM 2.5 controller, along with GPS and telemetry links, to carry First Person View
equipment and
transmit 1.3 GHz live video. What all this means is that the TBS Discovery Quadcopter has the
capacity to stream live video through flight to an adjacent monitor (see corresponding image to
the right), for both flight control and recording purposes. This Quadcopter also has an attached
base that can securely hold an additional camera, such as a GoPro, for either ground or overhead
imaging. This Quadcopter also serves as a platform for the IT Program to develop APM flight
controller code.
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
- Hexacopter (DJI F550)
The Hexacopter, or “Hex,” holds six motors, instead of the four that Quadcopters utilize. This, in
theory, leads to better control of the vehicles when in flight, as the motors are spaced closer
together and react with quicker and more precise movements from the radio transmitter. The
Hexacopter’s larger size also allows it to support a built-in landing gear unit and a camera
gimbal. The gimbal gives an external camera (when attached) a steady base.
- XAircraft X650 V8
Image Courtesy of MU IT Drone Lab
The XAircraft X650 V8 drone is currently being tested for the purpose of determining if the
vehicle’s eight motors rightly provide additional stability over lower models by the IT Program,
and may not see the hands of the Journalism Program until more complex stories are approached.
A high payload capacity on this drone also allows for the use of larger batteries and extended
airtime.
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
- “The BumbleBee” Quadcopter
“The BumbleBee” Quad (right) relative to a normal-sized Quadcopter (left)
This tiny Quadcopter, nicknamed “The BumbleBee,” is remarkable in the fact that it was
constructed completely through the use of the IT Program’s Full Spectrum Laser 40W Laser
Cutter. This non-GPS Quadcopter, which is utilized as more of an indoor flyer due to its small
size and will not serve duty in the Journalism Program’s approach to public land stories.
Information in this article was provided from Matthew Dickinson and the MU IT Program Drone
Lab.
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Cade Cleavelin, Drone Journalist
March 15, 2013
Cade Cleavelin practiced using one of the Missouri Drone Journalism Program’s drones to fly
over a few thousand snow geese congregating at Eagle Bluffs Conversation Area on Saturday,
March 9. The mission of the trip was to capture an aerial shot that could illustrate just how many
Snow Geese were in the area. The Snow Geese are in Columbia longer than usual due to heavy
snowfall and other factors that disrupted their migration.
**ACCOMPANYING VIDEO: http://www.missouridronejournalism.com/2013/03/cadecleavelin-drone-journalist/
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
NBC Camera Operator Discusses Drones in Broadcast TV
April 1, 2013
NBC freelance cameraman John Lewis came to film the Missouri Drone Journalism Program in
Columbia, Mo, on March 8, 2013. When asked if he would ever use drone technology at his
camera rental business, he said he’d leave it for the younger guys to experiment with.
**ACCOMPANYING VIDEO: http://www.missouridronejournalism.com/2013/04/nbccameraman-discusses-drones-in-broadcast-tv/
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Program Reports on Prairie Fire: Behind the Scenes
April 10, 2013
Pilot Brendan Gibbons gives behind-the-scenes details of what it was like to fly the quadcopter
drone over flames during a controlled burn at Tucker Prairie in Kingdom City, Mo, on April 2,
2013. As a member of the program, Gibbons is learning to control the drone through a remote
control and use the footage captured by the drone to assist in reporting. The story on the burn is
the second story completed by the Missouri Drone Program, and was published on Tuesday,
April 9 on Harvest Public Media and KBIA.
**ACCOMPANYING VIDEO: http://www.missouridronejournalism.com/2013/04/251/
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What Flies When it Comes to Drone Laws Across the Globe
April 19, 2013
As debate over drones in combat reaches a tipping point in the United States, the use of
unmanned flying bots on domestic ground is also starting to pick up steam. As many as 28 states
are considering legislation that would outlaw unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. Another
contentious issue in the U.S. is what makes a UAV “commercial” or “recreational.” Commercial
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
use is generally recognized as having a profit endgame, but murky Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) laws only fuel the debate. Using UAVs for journalistic purposes seems to
further blur the line between commercial and recreational use.
UAVs have also been making waves internationally, where laws (or guidelines) vary from nation
to nation. The below is a guide we’ve put together that breaks down these various UAV laws. In
most of the countries we’ve taken a look at, the designation between commercial and
recreational UAV use is a key starting point in deciding rules and enforcement.
Canada (UAV-Friendly Rating: 2/5)
Perhaps the most complex UAV laws in the entire world exist just north of U.S. borders.
Transport Canada is the agency that regulates Canadian air space, and it sets a clear line between
“unmanned aerial vehicles” (commercial use) and “model aircraft” (recreational use). The
definition of a model aircraft: less than 77.2 pounds, individually owned (no companies allowed)
and not profit-seeking. If an aircraft meets these conditions, it is considered a recreational
vehicle, making it subject to lower scrutiny. Aircraft that don’t meet this criteria are officially
“unmanned aerial vehicles” and require Special Flight Operations certificates. Getting certified
sounds like an almost more-trouble-than-it’s-worth process that includes a big list of
specifications. For example: a UAV can meet the three model aircraft standards listed above, but
if it’s also got a small camera, then the UAV automatically becomes an “unmanned aerial
vehicle” under the law.
DIYdrones has more useful information on Canadian UAV law.
Mexico (UAV-Friendly Rating: 5/5)
No Civil Aviation Authority regulations beset UAV users in Mexico. In fact, Mexican attitudes
evidently encourage UAV use. The Mexican government rewarded Jordi Muñoz, who is a young
scientist and engineer, for exploring the peaceful uses of drones through his own production
company, for example. The government also uses UAVs for everything from drug activity to
university research.
United Kingdom (UAV-Friendly Rating: 3/5)
The U.K.’s UAV laws are similar to the current policies of the U.S. – meaning they’re really
more like guidelines than a comprehensive set of regulations. Currently, CAP 722 claims
jurisdiction over UAV use in the U.K. This legislation divides UAV use into two groups that
both require permits. The key figure in the U.K. is 20 kg (or 44.09 pounds) – this is the weight
limit a UAV cannot surpass to be considered a “small unmanned aircraft.” This title makes the
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
aircraft more likely to only require a minor “Permit to Fly” classification, which is relatively
easy to acquire, but does limit where and how high you can fly (rural lands are more acceptable).
Anything heavier or used for aerial photography requires a “Permit to Carry Out Aerial Work,”
which comes with tougher restrictions. Attaining one of these permits requires a big list of
prerequisites – from pilot qualification to design and construction certificates. According to The
Guardian, there are only 130 groups or companies that have permission to fly UAVs in U.K.
airspace.
Europe (UAV-Friendly Rating: 2/5)
Much of mainland Europe operates under the jurisdiction of the European Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA), a European Union group. EASA is simple when it comes to UAVs: you’re
going to need certification in any situation, whatsoever. Such certification is only granted on a
case-by-case basis under the EASA’s rules, which we’d imagine is a lengthy process. The
EASA also has shown that it does not operate under much precedent in these cases, despite UAV
technology growing more and more everyday. EASA’s Policy Statement webpage on UAVs says
that requests proposing flight in unpopulated areas have the best success rate.
Brazil (UAV-Friendly Rating: 5/5)
In South America, Brazil has become a leading player in UAV use. On the national level, the
country is investing deeply in UAVs to patrol its borders. There are also no direct laws that
infringe free civilian use. Such openness allows for amazing footage, like this video adventure in
Rio de Janeiro:
Asia (UAV-Friendly Rating: an indifferent 1/5)
Both communist China and democratic Japan are using UAVs to square off with each other in a
sort of micro-aggressive battle for disputed land. Similarly, South Korea also may be dipping its
toes in militaristic UAV use through possible collaboration with the U.S. The only non-military
use of UAVs that we’ve been able dig up in the region are limited to corners of agriculture, such
as with rice fields of Japan.
Australia (UAV-Friendly Rating: 4/5)
Oceana is perhaps the most welcoming region for UAVs in the world. An “unmanned aircraft
system” is Australian terminology for a UAV used for profit-seeking “air work,” but such
commercial use only requires some easily attainable identification. Otherwise, the UAV is a
“model aircraft, flown for sport & recreation and education,” according to the Civil Aviation
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
Safety Authority. Model aircraft, from what we’ve seen, are completely hands-off in terms of
regulation.
New Zealand (UAV-Friendly Rating: 5/5)
New Zealand law is like Australia, but without the identification requirement. It appears as if
recreational and commercial motivations for UAV flight are indistinguishable in New Zealand,
and free-flying policies lead to visual marvels like this video clip. The Aviation Industry
Association of New Zealand has proposed legislation on UAVs, but the proposal is reportedly
more of a non-restrictive manual for UAV use than anything.
UAV law ranges quite a bit internationally, which is exemplary of the many opinions on the new
aircraft in the U.S.. As of now, the U.S. combines much of both strict but broad laws with fairly
open areas of freedom in flight. While much of the direct U.S./FAA regulation zeroes in on
commercial purposes for use, recreational or “hobbyist” use has generally been left alone as long
as UAVs aren’t breaking trespassing laws. State legislation currently being considered, however,
could catapult the U.S. up to among the most highly restricted countries for UAVs out there.
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Journalists from Pakistan visit the Missouri Drone
Journalism Program
April 26, 2013
Earlier last month, the Missouri Drone Journalism Program was asked to give a group of visiting
Pakistani journalists a demonstration and brief explanation of the program and its goals. The
journalists were brought to tour the United States through an exchange set up by the East-West
Center, which “promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the
United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialog.”
It works similar to a foreign exchange program: it seeks out a group of journalists from both the
United States and Pakistan with backgrounds in different media, and sends them on a two-week
tour of the each others’ country.
While the visiting journalists were not originally planning on visiting the Missouri Drone
Journalism Program, we jumped at the opportunity. We were unsure how a group of Pakistanis
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
would react to such a controversial technology being used in journalism, and was pleasantly
surprised when the Pakistanis expressed.
The visiting group was most interested in the potential implementation of drone in dangerous
situations like suicide bombings and natural disasters. After introducing them to the Program, we
showed the group a couple of the articles and stories we’ve produced. We then we gave the
journalists the opportunity to see the drones in action and even taught a few of them how to fly.
Matthew Dickinson gave them a brief lesson and then put the controls in their own hands. After
about 15 minutes of flying, the visiting journalists had their fill of flight for the day. Most were
able to get the drone into the air after a couple tries, an impressive feat given the steep learning
curve most experience with our models.
The slideshow below shows a couple of the visiting journalists first attempt at drone flight.
**ACCOMPANYING VIDEO: http://www.missouridronejournalism.com/2013/04/journalistsfrom-pakistan-visit-the-missouri-drone-journalism-program/
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Korean Journalists Observe a Class, Drones in Flight
April 27, 2013
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Missouri Drone Journalism Program – Convergence Capstone Team
Jaime Cooke, Robert Partyka, Zach Garcia
The Missouri Drone Journalism program received a visit from a group of Korean journalists
during class on Monday, April 22. The group was made up of seven reporters that are based in
Seoul, South Korea. All are defectors from North Korea. A few of the reporters even left the
communist nation within the last two years. Many now work for publications that cover North
Korean topics for a South Korean audience.
The journalists were visiting as part of a seminar with the East-West Center. The group studied
new media techniques during its stop at the Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Mo. for
most of the past week, and will also travel to Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
During the afternoon, the journalists discussed possible uses of drones in journalism and
observed a drone in flight. The class also showed some of its published work involving drone
footage to the Korean journalists.
A visiting reporter with the newspaper DailyNK in Seoul, said that she believed drone
technology would be useful in documenting the demilitarized zone between North Korea and
South Korea.
“I specialize in North Korea coverage, and overhead pictures of both the demilitarized zone and
the edge of the North (Korea) would be dynamic,” said the reporter through an assigned
translator.
The Drone Journalism program also hosted a group of Pakistani journalists for a similar session
in March.
*Names were omitted from the text and faces were omitted from photographs to protect the
North Korean families of defected journalists from possible retribution.*
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