Which insurance do journalists in Germany need?

In short

Which insurance do journalists in Germany need? Employed editors at publishers bound by collective agreements often already have press pension cover (Presseversorgung) with a disability benefit if they joined before 57. First check whether it is enough; if not, add your own BU from about EUR 30 to 50 a month. Then legal expenses with criminal law, as reports can lead to complaints.

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What it costs

Published premium ranges, As of October 2026.

Example	Typical range
BU, young people with office work	from under EUR 30 to about EUR 50 a month
BU, depending on age, job and health	also EUR 100 to 150 a month or more
Private and work legal expenses, single	about EUR 250 a year
Personal liability for singles	about EUR 40 to 120 a year

As of October 2026, from the sources listed.

The amounts in the worked example are guide values from our quoting practice.

Your premium depends on age, health and job; we obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Editor, 33, daily newspaper bound by collective agreement, EUR 3,000 net

The press pension fund pays a small disability pension; the gap to net pay remains large.

Own BU, EUR 1,500 pension to 67	guide value about EUR 50 to 80 a month
Private and work legal expenses	about EUR 21 a month
Personal liability	about EUR 4 to 10 a month

About EUR 75 to 111 a month in total.

What the publisher and press pension fund cover for journalists

At publishers bound by collective agreements, editors are insured through the Versorgungswerk der Presse. The agreement for editors at online media provides pension insurance with a disability benefit if you join up to age 57, without it if later. If you move to another bound publisher, the contract continues.

Check your policy for the amount of the disability pension. It is often tied to retirement savings and covers only part of your net pay. Your own BU closes the gap. Desk based journalists are usually rated cheaply, reporters travelling to crisis regions much higher.

Liability for articles: who pays when a story gets expensive

For mistakes at work, employees are liable under employee liability rules: usually not at all for slight negligence, partly for medium and often fully for gross negligence. A criminal complaint for defamation, however, targets you personally, not the publisher.

Legal expenses insurance with criminal and employment law helps journalists in an investigation and in disputes with the publisher. Read the small print: the model terms ARB 2012 exclude disputes about copyright and trademarks. For freelance work on your own account you need financial loss liability; see our pages on business types.

Priorities for journalists

What journalists insure first depends on the press pension fund and where they work.

Rank	Insurance	Cost	Note
1	BU on top of the press pension fund	from under EUR 30 to about EUR 50 a month, young office jobs	close the gap to net pay
2	Private and work legal expenses with criminal law	about EUR 250 a year	waiting period for employment law
3	Personal liability	about EUR 40 to 120 a year	damage in private life
4	Travel and crisis cover	on request	only for reporters abroad

Reporters abroad and in crisis regions

The model terms for accident insurance exclude accidents caused by war and civil war. Journalists travelling to crisis regions need an explicit inclusion or a special policy, often arranged by the employer. Get the cover in writing for each assignment.

What employed journalists usually do not need

Employed journalists usually do not need their own professional or financial loss liability for work at the publisher. Camera insurance only pays off if you use your own equipment for work and the employer does not insure it.

Step by step

Find your press pension documents and read the disability benefit.
Calculate the gap to net pay and request your own BU.
Take out legal expenses with criminal and employment law before a conflict.
Before assignments abroad, clarify cover for war events.

Checklist

Known disability benefit from the press pension fund
Own BU for the gap
Legal expenses with criminal law
Personal liability
Written cover for crisis regions

Common mistakes

Treating the press pension fund as sufficient BU
Believing legal expenses cover copyright disputes
Travelling to a war zone with normal accident insurance

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Do journalists automatically have disability cover?

Editors at bound publishers are insured through the press pension fund,

with a disability benefit if they join up to 57.

The amount is often too low.

Are employed journalists liable for errors in articles?

Towards the employer, employee liability rules apply.

Under criminal law you can be prosecuted personally, for example for defamation.

Does legal expenses insurance pay for a copyright warning?

The model terms ARB 2012 exclude copyright disputes;

a module for internet related accusations is optional.

How much is BU for journalists?

For young people with office work from under EUR 30 to about EUR 50 a month,

more with age and travel.

Do freelance journalists need something else?

Yes, freelancers need financial loss liability.

Our pages on business types cover this.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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