Former BJ State Desk reporter Cathy Robinson Strong, on the faculty
of Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand, wrote an extensive paper on
the new methods to cover the news, particularly drone cameras.
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| Cathy Strong |
There’s even a Professional Society of Drone Journalists, founded
in 2011. Can you imagine Don Roese or Ott Gangl piloting drones to get their photos
of major news events?
Drone cameras are much cheaper than hiring a plane or helicopter for
aerial photos, and can get closer to the actual happening. Drone cameras made a
major impact in covering Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines in 2013, which
was a tuneup for even better and more extension coverage of the Nepal earthquake in 2015.
The major limitation is battery life, so the drone cameras have to
get in and back to base in a few hours. But then they can go back out again with
fresh batteries.
The other barrier is dealing with restrictions on drones from country to country.
Maybe the BJ should get a drone camera to cover major events in
Akron or Cleveland.
And then there are backpack journalists, who can get to the
affected people quicker and closer to collect and tell the story in words and
images. Problems there, too with poor sound and images if the reporter isn’t
good with both technology and interviewing victims.
Cathy has been in New Zealand for decades, with a 3-year break to
teach journalism in Dubai, United Arab Emirate. She flies to America regularly
to visit family and friends. Cathy’s sister, Janet Mullins, lives on
Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Cathy’s married daughters are Penelope, Rebecca
and Amanda, all living in New Zealand, where earthquakes are a weekly
occurrence.
The late Fran Murphey, retired BJ photographer Don Roese, former State
Desk reporter Paula Stone Tucker and I have visited Cathy in New Zealand.
If you’re in New Zealand and want to look up senior lecturer Cathy, she’s
in the Massey University School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing, Room
SF47, Block 5. Her phone number is (04) 801-5799, extension 63549 and her email
is C.R.Strong@massey.ac.nz
To read Cathy’s paper, click on https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311614804_StrongZafra_Natural_Disaster_new_media
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