Consent, not surprise
A reporter is only bound by an embargo they agreed to. Sending a confidential tip with an embargo line at the bottom does not create an agreement. The safer approach is to offer the embargo first, wait for a yes, then send the material.
Established contacts may already have a clear working process. With a new contact, ask for agreement before sending sensitive material.
Exclusives
An exclusive and an embargo are different agreements. An exclusive limits who receives the story. An embargo sets when agreed information can be published. An exclusive can still include a publication time, but both sides need to understand the terms.
Analyst and financial embargoes
Public companies have legal obligations around material non-public information. If your news could move a share price, run the embargo past legal or investor relations before you send it. This guide does not cover that.
When an embargo is broken
First, confirm what actually happened.
- Check whether the recipient accepted the embargo, whether the timing was clear in your email, and whether the break was intentional or a scheduling mistake.
- Contact the journalist or editor directly. Explain the issue, ask for the article to be corrected or held where possible, and document what happened.
- If the story is already live and can't be pulled, consider lifting the embargo for everyone else so well-behaved recipients are not disadvantaged.
The appropriate next step depends on the impact, the intent and the relationship. It may range from a simple correction to limiting future early access. A conversation is almost always better than a blanket response.
Do not overpromise
Do not attach an embargo to information that is not really embargoed. If it is on your website or in a filed regulatory document, it is public. Reporters can tell the difference between genuine sensitivity and fake urgency.