Why Does The U.S. Government Let CNN Fly Drones Over People?

CNN, which is under fire for broadcasting anti-Trump “Fake News” after a bombshell James O’Keefe report, partners with the U.S. federal government on drone research and has unprecedented Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to fly drones over American citizens.

Will the Trump administration’s FAA pull the plug on CNN’s special government privileges — obtained during the Obama administration — now that O’Keefe has exposed the dishonest nature of the network?

“CNN has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRDA) with the Federal Aviation Administration to advance efforts to integrate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) into newsgathering and reporting,” CNN announced in a January 2015 press release. 

“Coordination between and among CNN, GTRI and the FAA has already begun. The FAA will use data collected from this initiative to formulate a framework for various types of UAVs to be safely integrated into newsgathering operations,” according to the release.

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In August 2016, CNN announced that “it has become the first organization to be granted a waiver by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly unmanned aerial systems (UAS) over people in the United States. CNN received a certificate of waiver to operate the Fotokite Pro, a tethered platform that weighs less than two pounds, over uncovered people who are not directly participating in the UAS operation.  As part of the waiver approval process, CNN demonstrated to the FAA that its operations could be conducted safely. CNN’s successful waiver application builds on its longstanding commitment to moving UAS policies forward for news organizations.”

The CNN Airport Network is the exclusive news provider for 50 U.S. airports, which CNN reportedly pays.

In 2001, the CNN Airport Network and the FAA teamed up

“The CNN Airport Network, which provides general news and information to travelers at 35 of the country’s busiest airports, began displaying an on-screen ticker showing real-time delays of 60 minutes or more at 28 major U.S. airports. The information is gleaned directly from the FAA’s Air Traffic Control Command Center in Herndon, Va., which offers the same type of information on the Web at www.fly.faa.gov,”  according to the trade paper FCW.com.