India, Jan. 9 -- There has been a noticeable change in how much - and how pointedly - the foreign press reports on India. In the past, as the adage had it, a story from the subcontinent wasn't newsworthy unless it involved the death of one American, or ten Englishmen, or a thousand Indians. This outlook changed when the Cold War ended and economic reforms got underway.

As India became a sizeable market and a prospective ally, the foreign press became much more interested in understanding - and shaping - India's rise. Unfortunately, as India's trajectory has not met the expectations of media elites in places such as New York, London, and Doha, much of this swelling coverage has been critical and aimed at very particular targets - apparent...