L’affare Ganguly And Nagma  
Whither Media Ethics?
By S Zeyaur Rahman

The ethical role of the media has been debated umpteen times in the country, but to no avail. Cricket is a game followed by millions and the media plays an important role in shaping the opinions of the masses on cricket. It is in this context that we have to consider the magnitude of influence that the media can have on the public opinion.

I am talking of the Ganguly- Nagma affair which has been highlighted in the media. In fact it is the hottest story doing rounds these days. Of course the media has a legitimate right of reporting everything under the sun. But in doing so it should also keep in mind the possible repercussions resulting out of the reporting.

The Ganguly-Nagma affair has been blown out of proportion. Basically it is a story created out of nowhere. All we have as a matter of evidence is the sighting of the two at the Puttaparthi Temple some days ago. We could have underplayed the issue, but sadly did not choose to do so. Given the massive following of cricket, it is natural that the captain of the national team is recognised by one and all. So can’t it be a mere coincidence that Ganguly met Nagma on his trip to the temple.

On second thoughts, let us concede that it was not a coincidental move. Still then what right does the media has in preying on the personal activities of our players. Ganguly is a public figure, no doubt. But he is a celebrity because of his cricket and not romance. Therefore it his cricket that should be of interest to the media not his personal relationships. But our media is oblivious to the fact and has been taking an undue and unjustified interest in reporting the lurid details of his off-field activities. The situation is absurd, because apart from the temple episode, nobody has any evidence of any sort to prove the hypothesis. It is really stupid of everyone to actually start believing in things like divorce and remarriage on the basis of an unfounded hypothesis. This smacks of yellow journalism and does not show the scribes in a good light.

Let us come to the third point. Let us assume that there is something fishy going on between the two. By the virtue of the celebrity status of the two it may not be strictly a personal matter. But in the middle of a very important series, is it proper to hound our own captain?

India is playing a very important series. It is a make or break situation for us. Ironically enough, the pressure was on the visitors to keep on winning. Frankly speaking, the entire world was expecting the kangaroo myth to be broken in India. Does not the media have some sense of responsibility when all eyes are focussed on us?

It is rather unfortunate that we have proven ourselves unequal to the task. Instead of rallying behind our team we have orchestrated a campaign which has put our captain under tremendous amount of pressure. So what if he is having an extra marital affair! Have we forgotten how solidly the Aussie and South African media was behind Mark Waugh and Cronje respectively? That kind of morale boosting is extremely helpful.

It is sad that we are bent on making a scapegoat of Ganguly when the need of the hour is to support him blindly on every front. Otherwise it would become impossible for him to take on the unbeatable Aussies that too with a mediocre side. Nagma or Dona should be immaterial for us and all that should matter to us is a victory at the Eden Garden.

Let us send an unequivocal message to Ganguly that we are with him in every case.