diff --git a/lib/micropub/models/post.rb b/lib/micropub/models/post.rb
index 870aa0d..22e41c7 100644
--- a/lib/micropub/models/post.rb
+++ b/lib/micropub/models/post.rb
@@ -26,7 +26,11 @@ class Post
   end
 
   def published
-    @_published ||= Date.parse(params["published"])
+    if params["published"]
+      DateTime.parse(params["published"])
+    else
+      DateTime.now
+    end
   end
 
   def categories