Blogger Insurance

'According to the Media Law Resource Center, 69 lawsuits have been brought against bloggers nationwide, including a $1 million suit filed last year against Maine blogger Lance Dutson, who accused his state's tourism department of wasting taxpayer money in a promotional campaign. The advertising agency that developed it sued for libel, defamation and copyright infringement but ended up dropping the suit after advocates rallied to Dutson's defense.

Most cases against bloggers have not made it to trial. Cox, in an effort to head off suits, recently launched an initiative to raise the standards of his members through online education, holding out the prospect that they could then qualify for blogging liability insurance offered through the association.'

Too casual to sit on press row?