Pundit (expert)

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Pundit (expert)

A pundit is someone who offers to mass-media his/her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the social sciences or sport), on which he/she is presumed to be knowledgeable. The term has been increasingly applied to popular media personalities. In certain cases, it may be used in a derogatory manner as well.

Origins
Past English use
Current use

List of pundits

See also
References
External links

Origins

The term originates from the Sanskrit term pa??itá(India), meaning learned, and is first found in English in 1672.^[1] It refers to someone who is erudite in various subjects and who conducts religious ceremonies and offers counsel to the king or mayor.

Past English use

The Oxford English Dictionary cites the first English Language use of the word "Pundit" as referring to an official of the Supreme Court in Colonial India who advised the English Judges on questions of Hindu law. In Anglo-Indian use, "pundit" also referred to a native of India who was trained and employed by the British to survey inaccessible regions beyond the British frontier. By extension, the word came to refer to, "A learned expert or teacher" Speculation exists that the term's contemporary use may have its origins in a Yale University society known as "The Pundits" which, founded in 1884, developed a reputation for including among its members the school's most incisive and humorous critics of contemporary society. The group's late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century focus on lampooning the social and political world were well-documented in the university's yearbook and the Yale Daily News, the entries of which are considered among the first use of the term "Pundit" to refer to a critic of or expert on contemporary matters. Several members of the society have also gone on to become leading political pundits, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author and energy expert Daniel Yergin. Other notable Yale Pundits include A. Whitney Griswold, Lewis H. Lapham and Joe Lieberman.

Current use

In the English-speaking West, pundits write signed articles in print media (blurbs included), and appear on radio, television, or the internet with opinions on current events. Television pundits may also be referred to as talking heads.

Punditry has become a more popular vehicle in nightly newscasts on American cable news networks. A rise of partisanship among popular pundits began with Bill O'Reilly of Fox News Channel. His opinion-oriented format led him to ratings success and has led others, including Lou Dobbs, Keith Olbermann, and Nancy Grace, to express their opinions on matters on their own respective programs.^[2]

Internet authors trying to create a name for themselves by non-traditional means, may refer to themselves as pundits, and in fact can be considered experts of their particular life experiences or observations^[3].

The term pundit is also used to refer to sports experts.^[4] Often, a 'pundit' will be partnered alongside a sports commentator, who will describe the action while asking the pundit for analysis. Alternatively, pundits may be asked for their opinions during breaks in the play.