embargo

Intermediate 🏛️ Government / Politics

Definition

An official ban that prohibits trade with a specific country or restricts the release of information until a specified time. Journalists encounter embargoes constantly when companies want to control their news cycle, while nations use them as economic weapons that may or may not actually work. Breaking an embargo as a reporter is a great way to never get invited to another press event again.

Example Usage

The press release is under embargo until 9am EST tomorrow, so don't even think about tweeting about it early.

Source: Common political and media terminology

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