Srinagar, April 26 -- Kashmiris know how to talk. And not just in whispered conversations over tea, but right into the microphones of those very serious, very loud TV reporters who thought they had the monopoly on storytelling.

After the tragic attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists, Kashmiris did what normal people do when something awful happens: they grieved, they lit candles, they cried. Some even marched through the streets begging for peace. What they didn't do, surprisingly, was invite TV anchors to turn their pain into a live-action soap opera.

But the anchors came anyway. They came with cameras, with big words like "breaking" and "exclusive," with the smell of cold studio coffee still on their breath. And they were very con...