Ritika Upmanyu

For years, the communications profession fought for one thing - a seat at the table. The argument was straightforward. Communications could no longer remain a downstream function brought in after a business decision had already been made. Reputation, stakeholder trust, leadership visibility, crisis preparedness and public perception were business issues, and communicators needed to be part of the conversations shaping them. That battle has, to a significant extent, been won.

World PR Day 2026 is being observed globally under the theme “The Golden Age of Strategic PR.” It is an ambitious phrase that suggests the profession has reached its defining era. But has it? For public relations, that moment may have already arrived. The signs are everywhere. Artificial intelligence can draft press releases in seconds. Social media has weakened the traditional gatekeeping role of newsrooms.

By the time an organisation drafts its first holding statement today, social media has often written three versions of the story. This is the major challenge unfolding in the crisis communications world! For decades, strategic silence was one of the most trusted tools in a communicator's crisis playbook. When facts were unclear, legal implications uncertain or investigations underway, organisations often chose restraint over reaction and wait before speaking publicly.