Megyn Kelly should have done her homework

Sound, solid research is a marker of a good journalist. That’s our brand – to be informed, to be prepared, to be accurate. Important, prevalent information should be at the tip of our tongue, or our fingertips. In the age of technology, it would take a handful of seconds to perform a quick Google search, which would inform you that Modi is the second most popular political world leader on twitter (30.3 million followers), sailing right behind President Donald J. Trump (31.2 million).

Of course, one cannot expect a journalist to know everything all the time, but these are world leaders we are talking about. The stakes are high. Social media outlets like twitter then become a crucial source for harvesting information. A leader’s page not only gives you a snapshot on his/her policies and programmes (that may or may not have international ramifications), but also provides an insight into the leader’s ideological leanings and beliefs. If navigated intelligently, twitter can be a goldmine, which can aid a journalist in asking pragmatic, informed, and sometimes tough, questions.

On June 1, 2017, Kelly announced that she would be holding an exclusive “one-on-one” with Putin. Mentioning Modi, however, was not on her radar:

WATCH: Vladimir Putin has agreed to sit for a one-on-one interview with @megynkelly following the International Economic Forum pic.twitter.com/e0gZaK5B1e

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 1, 2017

Just learned this morning Vladimir Putin will sit down one-on-one with me tomorrow after the forum. Exclusive interview Sunday 7/6c on NBC pic.twitter.com/a4NydtzcSc

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 1, 2017

Things are looking up in St. Petersburg – the rain stopped…& I will interview President Putin on Friday. pic.twitter.com/3MJ3IoIhlH

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 1, 2017

Spent the day talking with Russians about their views on the US and President Trump. My @NBCNightlyNews story: https://t.co/oY2hmN1E3P

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 1, 2017

She did, however, give a perfunctory mention about Modi in one tweet:

At state dinner party at Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg with Russian President Putin and Indian PM Modi. More tonight @NBCNightlyNews pic.twitter.com/FX5kjfIJAf

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 1, 2017

Formerly with Fox News, Kelly’s journalistic career has been mired in controversies, the most noted one has been about her feud with Trump, which began at the first Republican presidential debate back in August 2015.