Political Pundits

What is the role of the political pundit in the digital age? 

Have You Seen This? Why Political Pundits Share Scholarly Research on Social Media

David Moscrop , L.Y.C. Wong, and Juan Pablo Alperin

Pundit: An authority. An expert. A critic. A person who gives opinions in an authoritative manner, usually though the mass media (Merriam-Webster.com, 2018).

Though definitions vary, the word “pundit,” at its essence, refers to a person who draws from a variety of backgrounds fill the public sphere and facilitate debate and deliberation. But with the emergence of online and social media, the public sphere itself is changing, making new information available to a much wider set of individuals than ever before. Has the pundit’s role evolved with these new platforms? Where do today’s pundits engage with the public sphere and why?

In this research, we are examining the role of trusted individuals—political pundits—and their contribution to political life in the digital public sphere through promoting academic work. We focus on Twitter—the 13th most visited site on the internet and a major news platform for for political pundits and members of the public alike—asking: Do political pundits share scholarly research? And if yes, why are they motivated to do so?