Our Mission
The Canadian Centre for Drone Journalism Excellence (CDJE) was founded in 2019, with a mission to develop Canadian drone journalism expertise. Here, you’ll find a variety of resources: from our annual national drone journalism symposium; to research, partnerships and collaborations ideas to further drone journalism; to training ideas and drone journalism curriculum support for journalism schools.
Summer 2021 update
Hello drone journalism enthusiasts!
If you check our site regularly, you know we’ve been going through a period of radio silence. The pandemic put a pause on all our activities – including training, our annual drone journalism symposium and updating our events and articles. Pandemic willing – we plan to restart activities in early fall 2021.
So stay tuned and check back often. We miss you, and we’ll be back soon!
Lynda Calvert, BA, MGA
Coordinator, Centre for Drone Journalism Excellence
Professor of Journalism, Seneca@York School of Media
Recent Articles
The Origins of CDJE
The idea for a Canadian Centre for Drone Journalism Excellence had a fairly inauspicious start. It came to me in a parking lot, on a chilly November Saturday morning. I was with a colleague of mine - another Seneca journalism prof who is a genius with a camera and in high demand as a camera operator. We were headed to a university and college drone fair.
Training Faculty
When I first started as a journalist, if you wanted aerial shots, you had to hire a helicopter or an airplane. Many of my colleagues had much the same experience. Years later we are now teaching the next generation of journalists but few of us have a background in using drones for newsgathering. That left us with a bit of a quandary!
Before You Fly
Congratulations! You have your Advanced RPAS Operator Certificate from Transport Canada. Now you can fly a drone mission. Before you can do that, however, there are a few steps you need to take. From flight plans to drone maintenance, our checklist has you covered. It should be sunny skies if you follow this list.