Pundit in strict contemporary English refers to an individual considered highly knowledgeable in a particular subject area, most typically political analysis and the social sciences. As the term has been increasingly applied to popular media personalities lacking special expertise, however, it has taken on negative connotations in current usage. Pundit is also a slang term for politically biased people pretending to be neutral.

Origins

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The term originates from the Indian term pandit, which refers to someone who is learned in various aspects of the Hindu religion and who conducts religious ceremonies and offers counsel to the king or mayor.

Past English use

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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 at "The Pundits" which, founded in 1882, 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.

Current use

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In the English-speaking West, pundits write signed articles in print media, and appear on radio, television, or the internet to opine on current events. Television pundits are sometimes called talking heads. Sports commentators and analysts are also commonly referred to as pundits.

In the strict use of the term, a "pundit" has recognized expertise in a particular field. The term, however, increasingly refers to popular media personalities who express opinions without necessarily holding recognized expertise in the area on which they opine. In recent years in the US, with the increased popularity of television and radio personalities such as Al Franken, Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh, pundits are increasingly seen not as experts, but as ideological partisans who tend to do more ranting than measured commentary. They are often accused of being politically biased, and of using informal logic in fallacious ways. This perception has caused the term "pundit" to take on derogatory overtones, with more of the sense of an arrogant loudmouth than an educated commentator. Thus, the term has begun to take on a negative connotations and is often used as a term of disparagement. There is a perception that the popularity of punditry has become harmful to journalism, as many perceive it as another example of news devolving further towards entertainment and away from reporting.

For a partial listing of pundits in the print media in North America, see the article newspaper columnists.

Pundits | Political occupations