Journalist Helle Lyng and the Controversy with Indian Officials
Helle Lyng, a Norwegian journalist, is currently stuck in a political mess. She tried to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi some questions during a joint media event in Norway. And now, Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, has suspended her accounts because of all the online noise.
She posted about it. Said she couldn't access her Instagram the whole day, then it got suspended.
“It’s a small price for press freedom,” she wrote, posting a screenshot of the notice. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Then she shifted focus. She told her followers that any responses she made on those platforms would be delayed. She just hoped the accounts would be back online soon.
She wrote something on X tagging Meta. “I wanted to respond to as many Indians as possible, but now it’s all delayed. I just hope I get my accounts back.”
The whole thing blew up after she tried to ask Modi a question during the meeting with the Norwegian Prime Minister.
She called out, “Why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” There was no reply from him, but the clip of the moment spread fast online.
Lyng later talked about it on X. She admitted she never expected an answer. She pointed to the World Press Freedom Index. Norway is number one. India is 157. She’s associated with the Dagsavisen in Oslo.
Later that day, the Indian Embassy in Norway invited her for another briefing. She asked again about India’s democratic standing. She brought up human rights concerns.
The MEA Secretary (West), Sibi George, stepped in. He pushed back hard against the criticism. He defended India’s institutions. He talked about constitutional values and human rights.
George argued that international critics often rely on selective reports. He suggested these reports come from what he called “ignorant NGOs” who don’t understand India’s complexity.
“We have a constitution,” George said. “It guarantees the rights of the people. We have equal rights for women.”
He added that India operates by the rule of law. That’s the reputation.
The online reaction was intense. People started attacking Lyng. Some called her a “foreign plant,” a “spy,” even a “Chinese proxy.” They brought up her past writings about China and Xi Jinping.
But others saw it differently. They pointed out the context. It was a joint media interaction, not some formal press conference with a strict Q&A.
Lyng responded to the heat. She wrote on X that she wasn't some foreign spy. “My work is journalism.”
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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