A freelancer wrote the story. The masthead is what gets served.

Media liability

Covers claims arising from what you publish (defamation, copyright and trademark infringement, invasion of privacy and misuse of a person’s likeness) on an annual policy for creators, podcasters, publishers and authors.

Without it — Every issue, online edition and newsletter is a publication, and the claim over a story, a headline or a photo caption is addressed to the publisher.

General liability

Third-party bodily injury and property damage. It is the line nearly every contract names by default.

Without it — Subscriber events, awards nights and visitors to the office. It excludes publishers from its own libel coverage, so it never stands in for the media form.

Cyber & tech E&O

Breach response, ransomware and the notification costs that follow. Technology errors and omissions sits on the same policy and covers the software or service itself failing a client, which is the half most tech companies find out about too late.

Without it — The subscriber list, the paywall and payment data, and an email platform that can be taken over and used to send in your name.

Hired & non-owned auto

Covers vehicles the business does not own but its people drive on the job: rentals, and employees running errands in their own cars. Their personal auto policy will not cover a business trip, and the claim lands on the business. Pricing depends entirely on HOW it is bought: as an endorsement on a general liability policy we write, HNOA often costs a few hundred dollars; as a stand-alone (monoline) policy it runs $2,500 to $5,000, and association practitioner programs (CPH, CM&F and similar) generally cannot take the endorsement, so "add HNOA to my existing policy for $300-$800" is usually not a real option. A package carrying GL, professional liability and HNOA together is typically cheaper than the monoline.

Without it — Reporters and carriers driving their own cars on your business. Their personal auto policy pays first and your company is sued when it runs out.

Workers compensation

Required in almost every state the moment you have employees. Priced on payroll and class code, which is why the class code is worth arguing about.

Without it — Staff reporters, editors and designers are employees. A freelancer is not, as long as the relationship is genuinely freelance.

What insurance does a newspaper or magazine need?

Media liability first, because the claims a periodical actually receives are about what it published. Then general liability for the office and events, cyber for the subscriber list and payments, workers compensation for staff, and hired and non-owned auto if anyone drives for the paper. A newsletter with no office and no staff often needs only the media and cyber policies.

What media liability covers

Are our freelancers covered under the publication’s policy?

Only if the policy says so. Some media forms extend to freelancers for work done for the publication and some cover only employees, so read the definition of an insured on the quote. Freelance contracts often ask the writer to indemnify the publisher, which helps little when the writer has no insurance. Decide which you want and write the contract to match.

The same question from the freelancer’s side

Are we liable for reader comments and letters to the editor?

For comments on your website, Section 230 generally treats the person who wrote them as the speaker, not you, though it does not reach copyright claims. A letter you selected and printed is your publication and is judged like any story. Moderate comments by a written policy and register a DMCA agent if readers can upload anything.

What will the underwriter ask a newspaper or magazine?

Each title’s circulation, frequency, area and revenue, and what share of the content comes from staff, freelancers and news services. Whether any of it is investigative or controversial, whether reporters use hidden cameras or confidential sources and how editors handle them, whether you use media counsel, whether staff are trained on libel, privacy and copyright, how you handle corrections, and how many subpoenas you have received.

What is subpoena defense coverage?

It pays a lawyer to resist a subpoena served on the publication or a reporter for notes, sources or testimony, usually up to a sublimit. A subpoena is not a claim against you, so a media policy without this extension may not respond at all. It matters most to a newsroom that covers courts, crime or government, and the application asks how many you have received.

We publish articles drafted or summarized with AI. Who is liable if one invents a fact?

The publisher. A false statement about a real person is defamation whether a reporter or a model wrote it, and the plaintiff sues whoever printed it. In 2026 bills in New York, Virginia and Alaska moved to make undisclosed synthetic media actionable on its own. Have a person check every AI-assisted piece that names someone, and confirm in writing that your media policy covers AI-assisted content rather than excluding it.

What to check on an AI media liability policy

An official has sued over our coverage. Can the case be ended early?

Often, depending on the state. Many states have anti-SLAPP statutes that let a defendant sued over speech on a public issue move to dismiss early, and some award the defendant’s legal fees when the motion wins. A public official must also prove actual malice under New York Times v. Sullivan. Your media policy pays the defense of a covered claim, including the motion.

SLAPP suits and how media liability responds

What does media liability cost for a newspaper or magazine?

We do not publish a range. The price follows circulation and revenue, how much of the content is investigative, how much comes from freelancers, whether a lawyer reads contentious pieces before they run, the limit and deductible, whether defense sits inside the limit, and claim history. A trade magazine about equipment and a city paper that covers the council are priced differently.