Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Norway and her question to him as why he was not taking questions from the local media, has brought a Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng under intense social media scrutiny.
It all started when PM Modi was about leave the dais with his Norwegian counterpart following a joint press briefing. As PM Modi was about to leave, Lyng shouted “Why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?”.
Question at the briefing
The development has gone viral following which Lyng has been subjected to intense social media scrutiny. Narendra Modi would not take my question; I was not expecting him to. Norway has the number one spot on the World Press Freedom Index, India is at 157th,” stated Lyng in a post on X.
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However, the controversy did not end there. As the incident went viral on social media, the Indian embassy in Norway personally tagged Lyng and invited her to a press conference later in the day.
Tense exchange at press conference
But the press briefing was not at all uneventful with Lyng questioning India’s credibility and human rights record. This resulted in a string response from MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George who refuted her with reference to India’s civilisation, Yoga and covid vaccine diplomacy.
When tried to interrupt, Gerorge clearly asked her not to. As the camera was rolling, at one point Kyng walked out of the briefing only to return after a while.
Social media backlash and response
As allegations of being a “foreign plant”, “spy” and even a “Chinese proxy”, poured into her social media profile, Lung was prompted to come out with a clarification X.
“I never thought I would have to write this, but I am not a foreign spy of any sort, sent out by any foreign government. My work is journalism,” she stated.
Also Read: MEA blasts ‘ignorant, godforsaken NGOs’ for Norwegian journalist’s questions in Oslo
Internet users also pointed out that her X account was verified just days before PM Modi’s event. However, Lyng argued that she was more active on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
“I verified (X) myself today, because I had a typo I wanted to edit, and I had to pay to edit it. Then I got the blue mark. And yes, I am usually more active on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook,” she stated in a post on X where since the incident her number of followers has shot up from a mere 800 to over 21,000.
Past work comes under scanner
A look at Lyng’s professional profile shows that she has worked as a freelance journalist for several Norwegian publications along with MSN. She is currently associated as a commentator with Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen, a relatively small publication with a circulation of under 14,000 and not among the country’s leading media organisations.
Also Read: An Indian PM hasn’t been to Norway in 43 years; so why now?
Her past writings have also come under scrutiny following the controversy. Several of her articles have been critical of the Donald Trump administration, while others have carried positive views on China and President Xi Jinping. Lyng has also written pieces targeting Elon Musk and Tesla.
The issue soon spilled into India’s political arena with Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mahua Moitra attacking PM Modi. Rahul questioned the Prime Minister’s reluctance to answer questions, while hours later Lyng herself reached out to him seeking an interview on the Norway visit. Meanwhile, BJP leaders dismissed the episode, arguing that the controversy had been unnecessarily amplified.
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