University of Nebraska-Lincoln drone journalism expert Matthew Waite will present the Nov. 8 Nebraska Lecture, “The Drone Age is Here, and We’re Screwing It Up.” The public lecture, part of the fall Research Fair, is at 3:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union auditorium, 1400 R St., with a reception following.
A live webcast will be available here, with a video available within a week of the event.
Waite, who founded the first drone journalism lab in the country at Nebraska in 2011, will discuss how the increasing use of drones for journalism, business and recreation has sparked debate on principles of free speech, privacy and property rights. By exploring historical parallels – like the rise of aviation regulation following the Wright Brothers’ first flight – Waite will discuss how society can smoothly incorporate drones into everyday life.
Waite, who joined Nebraska in 2011, is a professor of practice in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Previously, he worked for the St. Petersburg Times as a hybrid programmer/journalist, where he developed the fact-checking website PolitiFact. In 2009, it became the first website to win the Pulitzer Prize. He also has worked as an investigative reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and co-founded Hot Type Consulting, a company that builds applications for media outlets.
His lecture is part of the Nebraska Lectures: Chancellor’s Distinguished Lectures Series, sponsored by the Research Council, Office of the Chancellor, Office of Research and Economic Development and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.