Are you covered for libel or slander should someone or some company you mention in your blog decide to sue you? People will sue for seemingly innocent remarks; even seasoned journalists and editors can be taken unawares. Even if you win, without insurance you still may be out thousands of dollars in legal fees and court costs. If you lose, you lose big.

Check with the company that carries your homeowner’s policy. It may write a rider on your homeowner’s insurance that will cover you for libel and slander.

I discovered this by accident, when I called the Hartford to buy an umbrella policy. To provide a million-dollar umbrella, Hartford wanted to increase the basic insurance on my house (which needed to be done anyway—this was something I’d been neglecting). As part of that upgrade, libel and slander coverage was included.

When I mentioned in passing that I used to be a journalist, it set off an alarm. The sales rep had to faze my criminal career past an underwriter, who eventually relented. However, my question about whether I would be covered for anything I might say in a blog, which, unvetted by any editor, is disseminated to the entire planet, didn’t even get a rise. Apparently, in the world of insurance underwriting, blogging does not equate to journalism.

That is astonishing, since work-for-hire journalists (as opposed to freelancers) are generally covered by their employers’ insurance. Also, working journalists are a great deal more savvy about libel, in my observation, than are bloggers, who naively publish the most amazing and actionable things. Anyone who publishes online, including bloggers, is at risk. The other day, for example, after I’d posted my rant about Danny’s Carousel Car Wash, I realized that even though absolute truth is an absolute defense (and everything I wrote about the slipshod job Danny’s did on my car was absolutely true), I had not taken any photos of the grime and road tar left on the vehicle. Without photos or the word of a witness, I could not prove my statements in court.

So, I was pleased to serendipitously fall into an opportunity to buy reasonably priced libel and slander insurance. As part of the package, it adds $19 to my annual bill, a bargain compared to lawyer’s fees.

If you’re monetizing your blog with ads or a tip jar, before you assume your homeowner’s will cover you, take a look at the concerns this post brings up; be sure to scroll to the comments of an insurance lawyer who calls himself BobH, about halfway down the page. Further addressing these issues, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has a wealth of excellent material.

Even if you think every word you write is benign, you might want to look into this.

blogging, insurance