<![CDATA[The sponsorship controversy between Pestapora Music Festival 2025 and PT Freeport Indonesia generated negative public responses and potentially affected the organizer’s reputation. This situation highlights the importance of crisis communication strategies in managing public perception and maintaining audience trust toward an organization. This study aims to analyze the crisis communication strategies implemented by Pestapora Music Festival 2025 in addressing the sponsorship controversy with PT Freeport Indonesia based on the perspective of Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). This study employed a qualitative approach using content analysis based on Krippendorff’s framework. The research data consisted of six national online media reports containing official statements from the festival organizer during the period of September to October 2025. The data were analyzed by categorizing crisis communication responses according to the strategies identified in SCCT. The findings indicate that Pestapora Music Festival 2025 primarily applied two crisis communication strategies: the Rebuild strategy through Apology and the Diminish strategy through Justification. The Rebuild strategy was implemented through acknowledgment of negligence, delivery of an apology, and acceptance of responsibility for the consequences arising from the controversy. Meanwhile, the Diminish strategy was applied through clarifications regarding the sponsorship cooperation, funding status, and termination of the partnership with PT Freeport Indonesia. These findings demonstrate that the combination of accountability and information-based responses became the organizer’s efforts to address public concerns and rebuild trust during the crisis.]]>
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