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“Media Azi” Broadcast, 37th Edition: New Drone Regulations?

12 April 2017
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The use of drones by journalists may be limited to specifically reserved areas. This provision was included into the new Air Code, voted in first reading by the Parliament. The issues of how these devices could be used and the concerns of the media regarding drone regulation are discussed in the “Media Azi” show by journalist Anastasia Nani and her guests, lawyer Tatiana Puiu and Oleg Tofilat, State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure.

Who is disturbed by drones being used for filming? Is there any risk that the areas where drones are prohibited will be extended? Should not the journalists who use information of public interest have more freedom when using drones? – these and other questions are answered by the participants of the show.

In the last year there have been several investigations that involved filming with drones, so journalists are concerned that such new drone regulations have emerged at this very time. They wonder: If they go to shoot with a drone in a luxury neighborhood where many of the officials live, will they have all the freedom to do their job? What does the Air Code say in this regard? And, in general, what conditions they must meet for the filming to be legal?

According to lawyer Tatiana Puiu, the Air Code, voted in first reading, is not sufficiently clear and leaves room for interpretation.

In his turn, the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure representative Oleg Tofilat insists that the document itself has no problems, but he does not rule out that certain restrictions on the use of drones by journalists may appear in further Government regulations.

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“Media Azi” broadcast is weekly produced by the Independent Journalism Center. It is intended to disclose the problems faced at present by the journalists of the domestic media and to identify solutions to hem. The broadcast may be viewed on the websites www.moldova-azi.md,  Media Azi and Mediacritica, as well as on the Youtube channel of the Independent Journalism Center. 

The broadcast was produced with the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, provided by the means of the Embassy of Sweden in Chisinau.