India, May 21 -- The recent media interaction involving officials accompanying Narendra Modi during his visit to Norway may appear, at first glance, to be a minor diplomatic episode. A journalist asked a pointed question. An Indian official began responding. The journalist repeatedly interrupted him. Voices rose, clips circulated online, and social media predictably transformed the exchange into a spectacle.

But beyond the fleeting outrage and predictable digital polarisation lies a deeper and more uncomfortable question: When does freedom of the press cease to serve democratic accountability and begin serving performance, provocation, and personal visibility?

This is not an argument against press freedom. Democracies cannot survive wit...