An agreement between a company and a journalist or publication specifying that a piece of news can be reported on, but not published, until a defined future date and time.
Why it matters
Embargoes let multiple outlets prepare coverage in advance while ensuring nobody publishes early, which is often essential for a coordinated launch moment where a company wants broad, simultaneous coverage rather than one outlet scooping the story ahead of the rest.
In a sentence
"We gave three publications an embargoed briefing a week before launch, all set to publish at 9am on the same day."
Related terms
- Often confused with: Exclusive (an embargo can apply to multiple outlets simultaneously, all releasing on the same date; an exclusive specifically means only one outlet gets the story, often with no embargo needed since there's no competing coverage to coordinate against).