Jon Greer over at BNET recently polled his readers, 55% of whom said the embargo is still alive and kicking, while 45% said it is dead.

The embargo, where the PR person and journalist agree that a story will not be published until a certain time, is "one of the most useful tools in the PR toolkit," according to Greer.

However, in the new media landscape that we live in, are they practical? The answer: sometimes. If it's really big news, or something from a public company, reporters can be more likely to hold tight until the agreed upon time. If not, there is always the chance the reporter will run with what they have, so tread with caution.

As an editor at a well known digital media news site recently told PRNewser, "We're going to pass on 90 percent of them going forward."