New Delhi : Scrutiny, attention and controversy — all came at once for a little-known Norwegian journalist after she attempted to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his media briefing with his Norwegian counterpart. “Why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” journalist Helle Lyng shouted. While it is unclear if PM Modi heard the question, he left the room. The moment was enough to spark a debate on press freedom. Amid the controversy, the spotlight has now turned to Lyng herself and her social media activity.
“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,” Lyng, who works with Oslo-based paper Dagsavisen, tweeted. As the incident blew up on social media and the opposition also seized on the incident to target PM Modi, the Indian embassy in Norway personally tagged Lyng and invited her to a press briefing later in the day.
However, the press briefing itself turned tense as Lyng raised questions on India’s credibility and human rights record. MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George gave a meandering response that touched on India’s civilisation, the origins of chess, yoga, Covid vaccine diplomacy, etc. In fact, more than his response, his facial expressions and antics grabbed more attention.
As Lyng interrupted, George pushed back. At one point, the Norwegian journalist walked out of the briefing room only to return a while later. The theatrics and drama played out on camera.
On social media, Lyng came under a torrent of online abuse, with some calling her a “foreign plant”, “spy” and even a “Chinese proxy”, referring to her past articles praising Beijing and Xi Jinping. Several also pointed out that it was a joint briefing by PM Modi and the Norwegian PM and not a press conference.
A section, however, defended her as well, pointing out that PM Modi has not held a formal press conference since taking office in 2014.
The trolling got so severe that Lyng eventually had to clarify. “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 tweeted.
WHO IS HELLE LYNG?
Nevertheless, the incident, which played out over 24 hours, turned the spotlight on Helle Lyng.
What particularly drew scrutiny is her X activity. Before her post on PM Modi, Lyng’s last activity on X was on April 10, 2024, where she posted her article on youngsters struggling with cocaine addiction. Before that, she posted in 2022. In 2021, she retweeted a post that shared a picture of PM Modi and world leaders tossing a coin during the G20 Rome Summit.
This fact was highlighted by several users to suggest that she might have been “planted” to “embarrass” India on the world stage. Interestingly, her X account was verified just days before the PM Modi event.
However, Lyng countered the insinuations by saying that she was more active on TikTok and Instagram.
“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 wrote on X.
While Lyng may not have been able to interview PM Modi, she, however, managed to climb on the popularity chart. From barely having 800 followers on X before Monday, she presently has over 17k followers. And it’s increasing by the minute.
A quick look at her profile on Muck Rack shows that Lyng has worked as a freelancer for several Norwegian publications and MSN. She is presently a commentator in the little-known Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen, which has a circulation of fewer than 14,000. It also doesn’t feature in the top 10 Norwegian media houses.
Her journalistic work shows she has been critical of the Donald Trump administration. “F**k you, Trump”, read the headline of one such article. On the other hand, several of Lyng’s articles praise “superpower” China and President Xi Jinping. She has also written multiple articles slamming Elon Musk’s Tesla.
JOURNALIST REACHES OUT TO RAHUL GANDHI
The controversy soon spilled into the political arena back home. Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Mahua Moitra accused the Prime Minister of “panicking” and “running away”.
“When there is nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear. What happens to India’s image when the world sees a compromised PM panic and run from a few questions?” the Leader of the Opposition tweeted.
Hours later, Lyng asked Gandhi if he would be available for an interview. “Hello, would you be available for a phone interview… It would be interesting to hear how you view the (PM’s) visit to Norway,” she asked. At the time of writing the article, Gandhi was yet to reply to her.
The BJP dismissed the controversy, calling Lyng a “delinquent journalist”. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya also pointed out that even the Norwegian PM did not take questions from the media.
“The lunatic Congress ecosystem led by Rahul Gandhi is crowing over a delinquent journalist’s incoherent rant. One wonders if, like the journalist in question, the Congress leadership is also on the take of those who do not want to see a strong and powerful India,” Malviya posted.
What started as a journalist seeking to ask a question to PM Modi has blown into a full-blown controversy that has spilt into the Indian political space as well.
