Every PR has lived that heart-racing moment. You have crafted the announcement, briefed trusted journalists, circulated the embargoed release with strict instructions, double-checked the media list, and sent the confidential note out into the world. Then comes the wait, refreshing updates and watching the clock, hoping no one jumps early. The fear of an embargo slipping is almost a professional rite of passage.
So when the Office for Budget Responsibility accidentally published its entire economic forecast ahead of the Chancellor’s speech, PRs everywhere felt a jolt. This was not a mischievous leak, but a full premature release of market-sensitive information. If the UK’s public finance watchdog can fall foul of timing, anyone can.
The OBR apologised and blamed a technical error. But the lesson for comms teams is bigger than one upload. Embargoes depend on trust, discipline and strong processes. They sit on a thin line between control and chaos, and that line snaps quickly without structure and clarity.
Why journalist relationships matter more than ever
Embargoes only work when recipients understand the stakes. You can send the tidiest release in the world, but unless you know who can be relied on and who genuinely respects timing, you are effectively throwing confidential material into the wind.
Most journalists do not break embargoes out of malice. They break them because the system fails, the newsroom is stretched, or automation pushes a page live before anyone checks it.
This scepticism is also fuelled by overuse. At Advertising Week New York, where our Managing Director U.S, Mary Cirincione chaired a panel with senior journalists, reporters like Lara O’Reilly and Michael Bürgi argued that embargoes are often used to inflate stories that do not warrant them. When embargoes are treated as a tactic rather than a necessity, journalists become less inclined to engage. Their message was simple: use embargoes sparingly and only when there is a clear reason.
This is why PR teams need sustained, two-way relationships, not just names on a spreadsheet. Trusted contacts are the ones you can brief clearly, call if timing changes, and rely on because they understand the consequences.
The OBR leak shows how even tightly controlled institutions depend on this trust. For market-moving stories, confidence between comms teams and journalists is not optional. It protects the public interest.
Clear strategy beats scattergun distribution
Embargoes unravel most often when too many people receive too much information too early. PR teams sometimes widen the net to maximise coverage, but strategic selectiveness gives far more control.
A strong pre-brief plan includes:
• Identifying only the journalists who truly need early access
• A clear, unambiguous embargo line
• Clarity on what is confidential versus referenceable
• Secure, controlled distribution instead of mass mailing
• Keeping the list proportionate to both priority and risk
Much of the stress PRs feel when hitting send comes from uncertainty about who will handle the material with care. Better strategy reduces that.
When tech works, it is invisible. When it fails, everything breaks.
The OBR incident shows that many breaches today are technical, not human. A wrongly timed upload or CMS quirk can trigger a chain reaction nobody intended.
This is why airtight processes matter: strict access levels, file permissions, approval steps, scheduling tools and last-minute checks. PR teams are pressured to move fast, but speed is worthless if it increases the chance of a leak.
Tech should reinforce embargo discipline, not undermine it.
Publishers and analysts are under pressure too
Newsrooms are leaner. Analysts operate under tight regulatory scrutiny. Publishers are under pressure to monetise content. In that environment, errors become easier to make.
Strong PR support helps counter that pressure. Clear timing, accurate assets, context and reliable data reduce the risk of mistakes. When embargoes are respected, everyone wins. Journalists avoid missteps, publishers protect credibility, analysts stay compliant, and stories land precisely when they should.
Embargoes still work, but only when used responsibly
The OBR’s early release will be remembered as one of the most high-profile timing failures in recent years. But the real lesson for PRs is that embargoes only work when trust, process and discipline work harder than ever.
Journalists are right to question embargoes used to inflate weak stories. And PRs are right to expect timing to be honoured when the news genuinely warrants it.
The stress we feel hovering over the send button is simply a reminder of the responsibility involved. Trust, once lost, is far harder to rebuild than any leaked document.