On Thursday, CNN announced the launch of their new initiative called CNN Aerial Imagery and Reporting, or CNN AIR. As a part of this initiative, CNN will use unmanned aircraft systems controlled by two full-time operators to cover news and events for CNN, Turner Broadcasting and Time Warner.




CNN has played a significate part of the media’s entry into the world of unmanned systems. Back in 2015, they were one of three media companies that worked with the Federal Aviation Administration in an effort to come up with safe uses of UAS during the news-collecting process. Before this launch became official, CNN had already used UAS to document and report on events such as the floods in Louisiana and the Republican and Democratic presidential nominating conventions.




“CNN’s cutting-edge development of technology to enhance the way we tell stories is a part of our DNA,” said Terence Burke, senior vice president of national news, via a press release published on Thursday. “We are proud to continue the tradition with CNN AIR and to establish a unit that will expand our technological capabilities for newsgathering.”

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