Who is Helle Lyng, the Norwegian journalist who wanted to ask PM Modi a question?
Helle Lyng is a Norwegian journalist and commentator who is associated with Oslo-based newspaper Dagsavisen . The journalist has found herself in one of the most controversial stories in India today and that too because she wanted to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi questions during a press conference in Norway .
Lyng grabbed headlines after calling out to PM Modi at the end of a joint press appearance with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Oslo , asking: “Why don’t you take some questions from the world’s freest press?” PM Modi and his Norwegian counterpart did not respond as they were already on their way out.
The moment, captured on video and later shared by Lyng on X, quickly went viral and triggered political reactions in both India and Norway. In her social media post, Lyng pointed out that Norway ranks first on the World Press Freedom Index while India is ranked 157th. She wrote that questioning world leaders was ‘the job’ of journalists in democratic societies.
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.
Lyng grabbed headlines after calling out to PM Modi at the end of a joint press appearance with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Oslo , asking: “Why don’t you take some questions from the world’s freest press?” PM Modi and his Norwegian counterpart did not respond as they were already on their way out.
The moment, captured on video and later shared by Lyng on X, quickly went viral and triggered political reactions in both India and Norway. In her social media post, Lyng pointed out that Norway ranks first on the World Press Freedom Index while India is ranked 157th. She wrote that questioning world leaders was ‘the job’ of journalists in democratic societies.
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.
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