Todays NYT has a story about difficulties in getting permission for media overflights of the BP spill area.  Here's something I've been wondering for some time:  why doesn't someone invest in drones for use by media organizations?

That might not work here, of course, because there might be yet other restrictions on their use. But you certainly could use them for disaster coverage, and imagery from regions too violent for journalists on the ground.

This is a limited capability, no substitute for close observation, but it would seem profitable in a variety of areas:  people pay for fast footage of earthquakes, fires, and other natural disasters.  Feeds from Somalia, Burma, or Zimbabwe might not be in such high demand, but still would be useful to someone.

Anyone have a line on a used Predator?