I have worked in or around news organizations for about a decade. A few years ago, during a major flood event, we tried out drones, specifically a pair of Parrot ARs.<p>These were great for use in a large stadium, where could get a bird's eye view of the sandbagging operation (though, we could also get the perspective on the catwalks), but for footage of the flooding river? The wind was a factor. Rarely could we keep them off the ground without risking losing them, so we ended up renting planes for most of our aerial footage anyway.<p>The real issue we've found is their use is extremely limited. Most of the time, news doesn't lend itself to a bird's perspective. When it does, such as during a marathon, a borrowed/rented cherry picker gives you a similar angle without the risk of dropping a $1000 piece of equipment on someone's head.