What is an embargo?
An embargo is a request from a news source that journalists hold a story until a set date and time, in exchange for getting the information early [1]. The source gets coordinated coverage at a moment it chooses. The journalist gets time to read the material, interview experts and write a careful story instead of rushing.
A typical example: a research team's paper will be published in a journal on Wednesday at 2pm Eastern. On the Friday before, the journal sends the paper and a press release to registered science reporters, marked "embargoed until 2pm ET, Wednesday." Reporters spend the weekend and Monday interviewing scientists, and dozens of stories appear at 2pm on Wednesday, all at once.
The phrase journalists use is "under embargo": the material may be read and reported on, but not published.
How does a press embargo work?
A press embargo works by agreement: the source states the embargo terms, the journalist accepts them before seeing the material, and both rely on trust and future access to enforce them. An embargo is not a legal contract in most cases. The incentive to keep it is that sources stop giving early access to outlets that break embargoes [1].
A clear embargo states three things:
EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01 ET, TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2026- Date, including the day of the week to catch typos.
- Time, in 24-hour or clear AM/PM form.
- Time zone, because an embargo with no time zone means different moments to reporters in London, New York and Sydney.
Muck Rack advises getting a journalist's agreement before sending embargoed details, pitching several days to a week ahead, and stating the exact date, time and time zone [5].
Why do time zones break embargoes?
Time zones break embargoes because the same clock time is a different moment in each zone, and daylight saving time shifts on different dates in different countries. EurekAlert!, the science news service, sets all embargoes in US Eastern Time and warns submitters about the weeks when UK and US clocks change on different dates [3]. PLOS states its embargo in both Pacific and Eastern time: 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern [4].
A practical rule: write the embargo in the time zone of the main audience, and add the equivalent for any other region on the media list ("00:01 ET / 05:01 UK").
What is the difference between an embargo and an exclusive?
An embargo gives many journalists the same news at the same time with a shared publication moment, while an exclusive gives one journalist or outlet the story first and alone [5].
| Embargo | Exclusive | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets the news | Many journalists | One outlet |
| When they can publish | All at the same set time | First, then others may follow |
| Best for | Big news that many outlets will want | A story one top outlet will lead with |
| Main risk | Someone publishes early | The outlet passes, and the news is now stale |
The two can be combined: an exclusive with one outlet that goes live at the embargo time, with other outlets briefed shortly after. Whatever the mix, journalists should know which they are being offered before they agree.
What happens if a journalist breaks an embargo?
When a journalist breaks an embargo, the usual consequence is losing early access to that source's future news, sometimes for the whole outlet. EurekAlert!'s agreement says a breach may lead to suspension of access for the registrant and for everyone at their news organization [2]. PLOS removes violators from its press list for a period it decides [4].
Once one outlet publishes, other journalists often treat the embargo as over and publish too, so a single break can collapse a planned launch.
How has the news embargo changed over time?
News embargoes became standard first in medical and scientific publishing, then spread to companies, governments and PR teams, and are now being written to cover new risks such as AI tools. Breaking them has led to policy changes and public rows [1].
1920s to 1940s: medical journals set the pattern
The embargo practice at the Journal of the American Medical Association likely dates from Morris Fishbein's editorship, from 1924 to 1949 [1]. Embargoes are now standard at major medical journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and The Lancet [1].
1994: a broken embargo changes policy
ABC's World News Tonight broke a New England Journal of Medicine embargo on cancer research in 1994, which led both the journal and the National Cancer Institute to change their policies [1].
2017: an embargo broken on social media
On July 19, 2017, Piers Morgan published details from an embargoed BBC report on presenter salaries on Twitter about an hour early, calling it a scoop. Other journalists criticized the breach as a violation of trust [1].
Today: embargoes and AI tools
EurekAlert!'s current embargo agreement asks reporters not to upload embargoed material to large language models or similar AI tools [2], a clause that did not exist in the era of fax and email embargoes.
Should you use an embargo for a digital PR campaign?
Use an embargo for a digital PR campaign only when the news is big enough that several journalists will want time to work on it, such as major research, a significant data study or a product launch. Muck Rack warns against embargoes on routine updates or commentary, since overusing them wears out journalists' goodwill [5]. EurekAlert! adds that embargoes not tied to a real publication or event can look like artificial hype [3].
For smaller stories, a straightforward pitch, or an exclusive with one well-chosen outlet, is usually better.
How do you set up an embargo so coverage links to you?
Set up an embargo so coverage links to you by having the page you want cited ready to go live at the exact moment the embargo lifts. Journalists can only link to a page that exists when they publish.
- Prepare the landing page with the full findings, method, charts and media assets.
- Keep it private until lift time. Do not publish it early at a public URL, list it in a sitemap, or share it in a form other sites can copy before the embargo ends.
- Send the future URL with the release, clearly marked as live from the embargo time, so reporters can add the link in advance.
- Publish on time. If the page goes live late, early stories may go out without a link.
- Check coverage after lift. Some outlets will name the brand without linking, so plan for link reclamation.
The embargo itself goes on the press release and pitch to your media list, stated in the subject line and at the top of the email.