Hot Seat 2.0: Where the PR and Press Play

The Department of Media and Journalism, School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, organised “Hot Seat 2.0: Where the PR and the Press Play,” a mock press conference and crisis communication simulation, on 12 October 2026 (Monday), 12:00 noon to 3:00 PM, in Room No. 302, Main Building. Ms. Tanya Bhutani, Assistant Professor, facilitated and moderated. It was the second edition of the activity, and BJMC, Design and Psychology students took part. Each team was assigned a hypothetical crisis in advance and prepared a spokesperson statement and press kit, plus a manifesto where relevant. Teams played the PR team for their own case and the press for every other team’s case. After a briefing on format and ground rules, each team took the hot seat in turn. Its spokesperson(s) gave an opening statement and then answered questions from student journalists on accountability, transparency, timelines and restoring trust. Spokespersons had to respond on the spot to unplanned follow-ups. The crisis scenarios were:

• Political
• Celebrity
• Brand
• Organisational PR
• Social media and viral controversy
• Data privacy and cybersecurity breach
• Environmental (greenwashing)
• Educational institution (campus incident)

The session closed with a faculty debrief on message clarity, composure, quality of questioning and use of PR material.

• Role reversal worked well: students who questioned others as journalists became more careful about their own statements when facing the hot seat.
• The mixed cohort added range. BJMC students brought sharp questioning, Design students shaped the look and clarity of press kits, and Psychology students added insight into public perception and emotional response.
• Live questioning exposed the gap between a prepared statement and an unscripted answer, showing why preparation, consistency and honesty matter in a crisis.