ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the use of drones for investigative journalism and by activists, and it is deliberate that these are covered together. Some of the first recorded instances of drones being used to gather information to inform the public involve either activists or investigative journalists and the former have done much to test the technical and legal boundaries of what is possible. Since the business model for the news media was turned upside down with the rise in free online information, one of the victims is seen to be investigative journalism. The blurring of lines between journalist, activist, professional and amateur is exemplified by the use of drones which have been adopted by people wearing all of those labels – sometimes at the same time. During protests in Bahrain in 2006, activists used Google Earth to source images of the homes of elite members of the government to highlight their luxury and poverty of their subjects.
