As our publishing culture leaves the safety of the print-based culture and moves into the wilderness of online publishing, most writers ignore a fundamental problem. New media writers–from self-published scribes to blogging authors–aren’t protected against libel lawsuits.
According to the Citizen Media Law Project, lawsuits are increasing against online writers. David Ardia, the director of that project, explained the problem facing the next generation of writers:
“Unfortunately, if you lack the money to carry out a vigorous defense, your only option may be to settle (perhaps agreeing to take down the offending content or even your entire site) regardless of the merits of your defense.”
Ardia also analyzed how writers’ insurance is evolving to cope with these new realities, studying the Media/Professional Insurance offered to members of the Media Bloggers Association.