ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses controversial aspects of privacy, transparency and surveillance in drone journalism. Our point of departure is the options for combining layers of data by using drones as advanced sensor platforms. When journalists systematically merge different kinds of data collected by drones, the activity might resemble surveillance. Depending on the purpose for the data collection, the activity may itself be surveillance – or surveillance may be a side effect, as when data about the environment includes data about people or individuals as well. In addition to exploring the potential of digital surveillances, this chapter zooms in on the significance of camera drones understood as autonomous agents in journalistic undertakings. Even though unmanned aerial vehicles are often considered autonomous agents similar to autonomous cars and trains, there are always humans operating behind the scenes. So what are the implications of the use of unmanned vehicles in journalism? The chapter investigates the dilemmas of hidden or invisible human agents in journalistic storytelling and how their intent or purpose implemented via drone actions best can be identified and understood.
