Welcome to the official blog for the University of Missouri Drone Journalism project. This project is a collaboration between the Missouri School of Journalism, the University of Missouri Information Technology Program and NPR member station KBIA. This semester students enrolled in a science investigative reporting course are working with UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), or drones, to create engaging, innovative, responsible public-service journalism stories. This project is being funded by a $25,000 grant from the MU Interdisciplinary Innovations Fund to explore the use of drones in journalism.

A close up of a drone prototype. Photo by Jaime Cooke

Drones tend to have a negative connotation in today’s media. The public mostly hears the word drone when associated with war and destruction. However, drone technology can be used in many other aspects, including field reporting. Part of this project’s goal is to discover how best to utilize this technology in the field of journalism.