A news conference or press conference is a media event staged by an individual or group wishing to attract media coverage for something claimed to have news value. Television stations and networks especially value news conferences: because today's TV news programs air for hours at a time, or even continuously, assignment editors have a steady appetite for ever-larger quantities of "news" footage.

News conferences are often held by politicians (such as the President of the United States); by sports teams; by celebrities or film studios; by commercial organizations to promote products; by attorneys to promote lawsuits; and by almost anyone who finds benefit in the free publicity afforded by media coverage.

A news conference is announced by mailing or faxing an advisory or news release to assignment editors , preferably well in advance. Normally they are held in hotel conference rooms or other formal settings; they may also take place at disaster sites, courthouses or other places where news is breaking.

In a news conference, one or more speakers may make a statement, which may be followed by questions from reporters. Sometimes only questioning occurs, sometimes there is a statement with no questions permitted.

A media event at which no statements are made, and no questions allowed, is called a photo opportunity.

U.S. Presidential press conference

When the U.S. President holds a press conference, he takes questions from the press pool in a specific order: wire services (for decades, Helen Thomas of UPI had the first question), broadcast networks, national newspapers, newsmagazines, radio and, lastly, regional newspapers.