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Journalist Fellows' Papers

Satellite journalism - the big picture

Paper by Journalist Fellow

This paper, 'Satellite Journalism - The Big Picture: Newsgathering applications of emerging satellite technology', by Journalist Fellow Mark Corcoran, examines media case studies, the two dominant US providers of commercial satellite imagery to media and raises questions on the applications and limitations of new satellite journalism. What is the potential of satellite newsgathering for journalists? How can journalists independently authenticate images provided by a third party? What are the censorship issues? What technical proficiency is required to interpret images? In an age when anyone with a credit card and internet access can already download archived satellite imagery, what are the security issues and responsibilities of journalists? And gazing into the not so distant future, what might satellite journalism look like 5 to 10 years from now?