Consequently, a largely fact-free society opinion substituted for facts and that was the path The Economist chose. The crowning glory of that echo chamber was the ringing endorsement of Rahul Gandhi for prime minister – earning Adam Roberts and The Economist a furious backlash on social media – and Rahul reaped the dividends, going on to win a stunning total of 44 Lok Sabha seats.

Since then, however, the bile directed at The Economist seems to have largely settled down and – surprise, surprise – their coverage has been much more balanced.

Most tweets against The Economist pointed out that the bad execution of demonetisation was a result of the chronic enforcement deficit and bad planning that are a hallmark of Indian government. Save one – Nirupama Rao – India’s former Ambassador to the US and Foreign Secretary, who brought out the ‘foreigners talking down to us’ card.

It would seem that the RBI’s decision to bar The Economist from today’s press conference had nothing to do with its negative coverage nor was it the only branch barred from the conference. All up – The Economist seems to have settled down to being significantly less hated.