DroneJournalism.org
The Professional Society of Drone Journalists (PSDJ) is a non-profit professional society founded in 2011 that provides ethical guidelines, technical safety standards, and peer collaboration for drone journalists and journalism educators internationally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersUrbana, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What DroneJournalism.org does
The Professional Society of Drone Journalists (PSDJ), operating under DroneJournalism.org, is a non-profit professional society founded in 2011 by Mattew Schroyer. As the first international association dedicated to drone journalism, PSDJ provides ethical guidelines, technical safety standards, federal regulatory guidance for small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS), and peer collaboration infrastructure for journalists who incorporate aerial drones into their reporting. The organization maintains a five-pillar ethical code covering newsworthiness, safety, privacy, traditional journalism ethics, and sanctity of law and public places, and requires members to adhere to this code as a condition of participation.
PSDJ operates on a membership-based revenue model, recruiting drone journalists, journalism students and academics, and news organizations through community-led word-of-mouth within professional journalism circles. Its go-to-market is community-led rather than sales-led, with no publicly disclosed pricing, dues schedule, or membership tiers. The organization does not function as a technology product company: it offers no proprietary software, platform, mobile app, API, or SDK, and has no disclosed technology stack beyond its own website.
The society maintains an international footprint with members from diverse professional backgrounds, and maintains academic ties through founder Schroyer's master's degree and ongoing work on a National Science Foundation grant at the University of Illinois focused on STEM teacher leadership training. Detailed financial, headcount, geographic, and operational metrics are not publicly disclosed, limiting quantitative assessment of current scale or performance.
DroneJournalism.org firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DroneJournalism.org
- Legal name
- Professional Society of Drone Journalists
- Website
- https://dronejournalism.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Professional Society of Drone Journalists (PSDJ) is a non-profit professional society founded in 2011 that provides ethical guidelines, technical safety standards, and peer collaboration for drone journalists and journalism educators internationally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DroneJournalism.org industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Journalism Association Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer Advocacy, Fact-Checking & Standards (Ethics, Policies, Corrections) (MPAFAMAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Safeguarding, Accountability & Compliance (ESG, Gender/GBV, Do No Harm) (BPADAEAM)
Keywords
Where DroneJournalism.org is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Urbana
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
DroneJournalism.org business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership-based operations: As a professional society established in 2011, the organization operates through membership contributions and likely relies on member dues, donations, and potentially grant funding to support its mission of providing guidelines, ethical codes, and technical safety support for drone journalists.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
DroneJournalism.org product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Professional Society of Drone Journalists (PSDJ) is the first international association for drone journalism, providing ethical guidelines, technical safety standards, and peer collaboration support for journalists using drones in reporting. The society maintains an ethical code based on five concepts — newsworthiness, safety, privacy, traditional ethics, and sanctity of law — and delivers updates on drone journalism developments, guidelines on technical safety and federal requirements for small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS), and a peer network for members.
Product overview
The Professional Society of Drone Journalists (PSDJ) operates as a single-service professional association rather than a technology product company. Its core offering is membership and community support for drone journalism practitioners, providing ethical guidelines, safety standards, and peer collaboration. No separate product modules, add-ons, or technology platforms are offered.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Professional Society of Drone Journalists (PSDJ) Membership A professional membership in the first international association for drone journalism, granting access to ethical guidelines, technical safety and federal compliance standards for small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS), updates on drone journalism developments, and a peer collaboration network. Members must agree to adhere to the society's ethical code covering newsworthiness, safety, privacy, traditional ethics, and sanctity of law and public places.
Companies that use DroneJournalism.org
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DroneJournalism.org technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
DroneJournalism.org partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
DroneJournalism.org competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Online News Association (ONA): ONA is a membership-based professional community serving digital journalists with ethics, training, and community support; PSDJ mirrors this membership/community model but at a smaller scale, serving the drone-journalism subset of digital news.
Broad incumbents
- Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ): SPJ is the longest-standing U.S. journalism professional association and the originator of the dominant U.S. journalism code of ethics; PSDJ's drone-specific ethical code is effectively an extension of SPJ's framework, making SPJ the closest comparison in mission and member base even though it does not focus on UAS.
- Poynter Institute: Poynter is a journalism training and ethics organization that shapes newsroom standards and runs programs such as PolitiFact; PSDJ's training and ethical-code work is directly comparable, just focused on the UAS layer of newsgathering.
- Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI): AUVSI is the largest trade association for the unmanned systems industry, covering UAS policy, training, and standards; it is comparable to PSDJ because it sets community norms and policy positions for the same underlying sUAS technology, though oriented to industry rather than journalism.
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: RCFP provides legal support and policy guidance to journalists, including issues tied to aerial/surveillance reporting; it overlaps with PSDJ on protecting journalists' ability to gather news via novel means such as drones.
- International Press Institute (IPI): IPI is a global journalist association focused on press freedom and journalism standards across borders; PSDJ's international membership and ethics mission make IPI a close comparand on the membership-driven, international, standards-setting dimension.
Others
- DJI (drone manufacturer): DJI is the dominant sUAS manufacturer whose equipment most drone journalists use; it is an ecosystem participant whose product decisions, training programs and safety materials shape the operating environment PSDJ's guidelines address.
Emerging players
- Drone Journalism Lab (University of Illinois): Founded at the same university as PSDJ's founder, the Drone Journalism Lab performs research and training on drone use in journalism; it overlaps heavily with PSDJ's mission and academic credibility, and is the most natural institutional partner or peer alternative.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
DroneJournalism.org social profiles
Digital presenceDroneJournalism.org financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DroneJournalism.org leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
DroneJournalism.org funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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DroneJournalism.org M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about DroneJournalism.org
What does DroneJournalism.org do?
The Professional Society of Drone Journalists (PSDJ) is the first international association for drone journalism, providing ethical guidelines, technical safety standards, and peer collaboration support for journalists using drones in reporting. The society maintains an ethical code based on five concepts — newsworthiness, safety, privacy, traditional ethics, and sanctity of law — and delivers updates on drone journalism developments, guidelines on technical safety and federal requirements for small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS), and a peer network for members.
Is DroneJournalism.org a public or private company?
DroneJournalism.org is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was DroneJournalism.org founded?
DroneJournalism.org was founded in 2011.
Where is DroneJournalism.org based?
DroneJournalism.org is headquartered in Urbana, United States, in the North America region.
How does DroneJournalism.org make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership-based operations.
Who are DroneJournalism.org's main competitors?
Online News Association (ONA) is listed as a direct peer. Broad incumbents are Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Poynter Institute, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and International Press Institute (IPI). DJI (drone manufacturer) is listed as an others. Drone Journalism Lab (University of Illinois) is listed as an emerging player.
Does DroneJournalism.org have an API?
No public API is recorded for DroneJournalism.org.
What industry is DroneJournalism.org in?
DroneJournalism.org's product category is Professional Journalism Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAMAI, Consumer Advocacy, Fact-Checking & Standards (Ethics, Policies, Corrections), with a secondary code of BPADAEAM, Safeguarding, Accountability & Compliance (ESG, Gender/GBV, Do No Harm). Its NAICS code is 541720.