Calls Prohibition A Violation Of The First Amendment

A group of journalism organizations has filed a brief with the NTSB challenging the FAA’s ban on the use of UAVs in support of aerial photographer Raphael Pirker.

Pirker has been fined $10,000 for using a UAV to shoot parts of a commercial near the University of Virginia.

But the media organization say the FAA simply does not understand their jobs, and how UAVs are being used in a news-gathering capacity. “The FAA’s position is untenable as it rests on a fundamental misunderstanding about journalism,” the brief says. “News gathering is not a ‘business purpose.’ It is a First Amendment right.”

The online site mediabistro.com reports that Priker's attorney Brendan Schulman said that the brief supports the position that the agency needs to consult with the public before simply banning "technologies that have many beneficial purposes." He said the First Amendment argument makes the case "even stronger."

The group filing the brief included such notables as the Associated Press, Cox Media, The National Press Club, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Scripps Media Inc., and several others.

There was no reported response from the FAA.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.faa.gov