media event

American  

noun

1. a celebration, stunt, spectacle, or other activity carefully orchestrated to attract the attention of the news media.

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media event British  

noun

1. an event that is staged for or exploited by the mass media, whose attention lends it an apparent importance

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Etymology

Origin of media event

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Rather than a coverup, this was a media event.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

To start with the familiar: The example I drove at the media event near San Diego last week felt impressively solid and soundly made, with door slams resonating with Honda’s trademark timbre.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

The Wednesday media event was the first time Eubank and Benn have seen each other since their first bout.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2025

The company unveiled Airbnb Services — which includes 10 initial categories — while relaunching its experiences program and introducing a new app design at a media event in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

The unveiling in 1926 of a new opera by the last great Italian composer in the genre, Giacomo Puccini, could fairly be described as a media event on a global scale.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall