Punditry

Punditry is the practice of offering one's opinion on a particular subject of which one has considerable knowledge. A pundit can be an expert on politics, social issues, sports, or any other issue. Pundits analyze facts and publish their opinions in order to facilitate discussion of important issues.

On the blogosphere, punditry is widespread; pundits are common sources of news for many web surfers. This can be both good and bad: while many pundits are eminently qualified in their fields, others are lacking credentials or other proof of their special knowledge of their chosen subject. In the realm of politics, the leading pundits are evenly divided between Republican and Democratic viewpoints. This can be troublesome in American politics, where the line between conservative and liberal is so deeply drawn as to resemble an unbridgeable gap.

While political analysis is always subjective, some complain that strongly conservative and strongly liberal pundits tend to go too far, contributing to the development of increasingly divisive cultural and intellectual spheres. Nonetheless, punditry-based websites are hugely popular, indicating that highly opinionated analysis is simply more interesting to read than neutral reporting.

Still, "pundit" threatens to become a derogatory term in our culture, where once it held no judgmental value. Certainly, many of today's pundits would appreciate the irony of that semantic shift.

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Latest blogosphere posts tagged “Punditry”

• How green is your website?

  
  Off the Kuff — Authority: 148
  Here are two thoughtful and interesting posts about data centers and carbon neutrality from my friend and Trinity classmate Robert Nagle ; a postscript with some added thoughts is here . I’m glad to see that my webhost does pretty well in this regard, though it’s purely by accident from my perspective, as ...
  1 day ago

• On Character… (or the case against blaming technology)

  
  TomsTechBlog.com — Authority: 454
  When I was very young I lived with my Mother in Las Vegas (specifically North Vegas just to give props).  During that time her best friend would babysit me on days when there was no school (as a professional gambler she didn’t work days).  One day we went on a “field trip” to an office building where she ...
  1 day ago

• Comparative Fringes

  
  Outside The Beltway | OTB — Authority: 694
  Steve Benen is a bit disappointed that I didn’t “follow [Charles] Johnson’s lead and reject what’s become of the contemporary political right” in my post responding to his departure .  In particular, he thinks I’m too easy on the conservative fringe groups and understate their hold on the movement. ...
  1 day ago

• Charles Johnson Makes It Official

  
  The Seventh Sense — Authority: 480
  The New York Times is supposedly writing a story on this, and I too have touched on it before .  To wit, the slow transformation of Charles Johnson from prominent right-wing blogger into... well... something sane. Yesterday, he made it official in a post on his blog, Little Green Footballs, entitled Why I ...
  1 day ago

• *Sigh*

  
  TomsTechBlog.com — Authority: 454
  So the Crunchpad is dead .  The details matter very little so I won’t quote but this really hits me where it hurts.  People think I’m being over dramatic (and maybe I am) but I’m honestly thinking of taking the rest of the day off. (Yes I’m at work now and yes I post from work on occasion.  I work an ...
  2 days ago

• The Kevin Keegan Award for Priceless Punditry, Volume 5 - Joe Royle

  
  Just-Football — Authority: 422
  "I love that smile." A wistful Joe Royle lovingly reflects on referee Phil Dowds pearly white grin as the man in the middle shares a joke with James Milner in Aston Villas 1-1 draw with Tottenham.
  4 days ago

• Gordon Not the Only One Outwitted in Brussels

  
  Guy Fawkes' blog — Authority: 647
  Guido is increasingly fascinated with the coverage of EU affairs by the Thunderer .  Last month it crowned Tony Blair president of Europe on  the front page.  Guido said at the time this was a delusion . Yesterday it reported on a great British diplomatic triumph over the damned French in Brussels.  ...
  5 days ago

• Red and Black Friday

  
  Get The Picture — Authority: 594
  When it comes to the Dawgs, it looks like many have quickly moved on from thankful mode to gloom and doom. Barnhart’s written tomorrow’s game off. … Athletically, Georgia should be able to hang around but there is no evidence that the Bulldogs can handle a tough, physical football game for four quarters. ...
  5 days ago

• No answer is still an answer

  
  The Curt Jester — Authority: 542
  (National Catholic Reporter) The vast majority of U.S. women religious are not complying with a Vatican request to answer questions in a document of inquiry that is part of a three-year study of the congregations. Leaders of congregations, instead, are leaving questions unanswered or sending in letters or copies of ...
  6 days ago

• the unfortunate return of dennis sewell

  
  weird things — Authority: 461
  You might remember Dennis Sewell, the pundit who penned a hackneyed article about the evils of evolution in The Sunday Times, heavily relying on worn and tried creationist canards, and quoting Ann Coulter as some sort of authority on the theory of natural selection. If you thought his column was a waste of otherwise ...
  1 week ago

• Warning! Warning! This is not good news

  
  Contrarian Stock Market Investing News - Featuring Bargain Stocks — Authority: 501
  Baltimore — ( TFN ): Did you feel it? Just a couple of hours ago, you went into debt for another $106. You never signed any paperwork or agreed to it – a handful of unelected officials took care of that for you – but you’re now on the hook for at least another Franklin. Earlier today, the Treasury auctioned ...
  1 week ago

• Not better to share?

  
  aspire to enquire — Authority: 114
  Remember that amazing wrigleys advert with the greyhound bus? I dont really know what was so great about it, but its one of the few I can remember from being 8. Ive wanted to mention it in blog form for a long time now. Sadly its not really related to this little online app I found a few months ago. Called Sex ...
  1 week ago

• America’s Next Top Pundit Is Ready for One-Way Car Service to Scarborough Country!

  
  The Awl — Authority: 767
  The Washington Post announced today the winner of its America’s Next Top Pundit reality blog contest thing. (Yes, that really happened.) Here’s a spoiler: the people of color lost . (Again.) RIG. (Or maybe they won by losing?) Further spoiling: the winner is a Teach for America (ACORN?) executive named Kevin ...
  1 week ago

• Tuesday morning buffet

  
  Get The Picture — Authority: 594
  The sun will rise, Georgia is only a seven point underdog against Tech (huh?) and breakfast is served. I hope Reshad Jones gets his chance for redemption. It just gets better and better in South Bend, doesn’t it? Along those lines, the only catch to this tongue-in-cheek proposal is that you still ...
  1 week ago

• Profundity of the Punditry : the President Blair Delusion

  
  Guy Fawkes' blog — Authority: 647
  It was only a few weeks ago that the papers were full of punditry warning that Tony Blair was about to become the President of Europe.  He would, we were assured, stop the traffic… The Thunderer front-paged the news that “Tony Blair is in line to be proclaimed Europe’s first president within weeks ...
  1 week ago

• Ass. Press

  
  Life with Mr. O — Authority: 110
  What annoys me about this isnt the Palin stuff, although its telling. My problem comes in knowing a hard-working, incredibly talented friend was laid off this week by the AP. All he did was spend five-plus years pumping out a few well-written stories EACH DAY about what was happening in Michigan state ...
  1 week ago

• Rep. Kennedy barred from Communion in 2007?

  
  The Curt Jester — Authority: 542
  The Catholic Church, which heavily influenced and even authored language of the anti-abortion language in the health care bill in the House, in clear violation of the constitution, has escalated its war over the separation of church and state by barring Rep. Patrick Kennedy from receiving communion by Catholic Bishop ...
  1 week ago

• Feelings

  
  The Curt Jester — Authority: 542
  Being that the fast forward button on my DVR is my friend I dont see many commercials, but I saw this one. This commercial could be the dictionary entry for relativism. 86 the rules, you do what just feels right. Ah, the very meaning of Christmas. Christ was born into the world so that we could just do what feels ...
  1 week ago

• DFL, Cowardly Establishment GOP Strategist Criticizes Bachmann

  
  Let Freedom Ring — Authority: 140
  It isn’t a secret that some within the GOP establishment prefer keeping Michele Bachmann arm’s distance away. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if Michele wore that as a badge of honor. Nonetheless, the establishment snipers persist like they did in this City Pages hit piece : But more importantly, ...
  1 week ago

• Predictive Power of the Punditry

  
  Alexandria — Authority: 488
  Jonah Lehrer at The Frontal Cortex has an interesting bit up on expertise. The parts I found most interesting were on punditry and mutual fund managers. Key quotes…… Look, for instance, at mutual fund managers. They take absurdly huge fees from our retirement savings, but the vast majority of mutual funds ...
  1 week ago

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