Influencer marketing has elevated regular marketing strategies across several niches, and the world of politics is no different. Political commentators help communicate current events and updates in the political world to their audience in understandable terms.
A political commentator is heavily submerged in the sea of ever-changing political news and updates their followers in an easy-to-understand and broken-down way. They use their platform to educate their followers and keep people informed. Political commentators also use their platforms to drive action from their followers in different political elections and races.
Key Takeaways
- Political commentators make it their mission to unravel the complex world of politics and bring it to your doorstep.
- Political commentary, also referred to as political criticism or political discussion, is a type of criticism that is specific or relevant to politics.
- While political commentary focuses on politics, social commentary can be found in literature, music, television, and cinema.
- By utilizing a few smart techniques, your business can provide commentary on hot-button issues appropriately and authentically.
- The key is to balance advocacy concerning political and social matters with sensitivity.
Who is a political commentator?
A political commentator is a person who analyzes and discusses topics in politics.
Politics can be a maze of information, debates, and decisions that affect us all. However, political commentators make it their mission to unravel the complex world of politics and bring it to your doorstep.
If you want to hear opinions on the news rather than the news itself, listen to commentators. A reporter delivers the news and a commentator analyzes it, sometimes within the same news program.
What is a political commentary?
Political commentary, also referred to as political criticism or political discussion, is a type of criticism that is specific or relevant to politics, including policies, politicians, political parties, and types of government. It involves a broadcast of a political nature the subject of which is designed to promote public discussion and debate of political issues.
Political commentary includes political debates between political candidates or individuals with opposing views, news commentaries, and talk shows.
Social commentary is an element of a narrative that levels a comment — usually a critique — on societal issues or general society as a whole. Any issue relating to an ingrained aspect of a society can be a target. The presentation of social commentary can range from obvious and on-the-nose to subtle and layered within subtext.
While political commentary focuses on politics, social commentary can be found in literature, music, television, and cinema.
Political and social issues can be polarizing, which makes it difficult for companies to participate in these conversations. However, many consumers are more willing to give their loyalty to businesses that openly explore important issues and support causes in ways that are authentic to their brand. The key is to balance advocacy concerning political and social matters with sensitivity.
By utilizing a few smart techniques, your business can provide commentary on hot-button issues appropriately and authentically, as shown below:
Top political commentators to know
Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro is an American columnist, author, media personality, and one of the top conservative political commentators. He became interested in politics at a young age and started a nationally syndicated column when he was 17. This led him to become the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the United States at 17, and at 21, he had written two books.
Shapiro has described the political left as believing in an imaginary “hierarchy of victimhood” in which the opinions of members of persecuted groups like the LGBT community are afforded more credence. He is an outspoken opponent of safe spaces, especially those on college campuses, arguing that they go against free speech. He frequently praises Western culture and Western civilization, saying “I believe Western civilization is superior to other civilizations.”
Shapiro is now very active on all social media platforms, especially Twitter, where he promotes his show the Ben Shapiro Show.
Tucker Carlson
Tucker is an American conservative political commentator, writer, and television personality, who hosted the nightly political talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News from 2016 to 2023.
Carlson is known for his extreme positions on a range of political and social issues, his embrace of white nationalism, his support of authoritarian leaders of other countries, and his regular reliance on arguably false or misleading claims, including baseless conspiracy theories. Through his television appearances and his writings, he exerted an unusual influence on Republican Pres. Donald Trump. The latter was a regular viewer of Carlson’s show Tucker Carlson Tonight, which was broadcast on the Fox News Channel from 2016 to 2023.
Carlson is also very active on social media and uses his large following on Twitter to post his podcast episodes.
Rachel Maddow
Rachel is an American TV host and a Liberal political commentator. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay area with her attorney father and school administrator mother. She attended Stanford University, where she earned a B.A. in public policy in 1994.
The Rachel Maddow Show, a mixture of news, opinion, and entertainment, debuted on MSNBC on September 8, 2008. That year she also appeared regularly as a panelist on MSNBC’s presidential campaign show, Race for the White House, whose audio was simulcast on Air America as the first hour of her nightly radio program.
Maddow was considered a notably well-prepared and well-informed host—one who interviewed people from across the political spectrum, the arts, and academia and covered topics from comic books to economic policy. Since then, she has taken her knowledge to the social media world and has gained a very large following on all platforms, especially Twitter (X). She is very active on this app, where she posts frequently daily with updates, opinions, and questions for her followers to quickly interact with.
Laura Ingraham
Laura is an American conservative television TV host. She is the host of FOX News Channel’s (FNC) The Ingraham Angle (weeknights, 7 PM/ET). She joined the network in 2007 as a contributor.
As the host of The Ingraham Angle, Ingraham aims to cut through the Washington chatter to speak directly with unexpected voices and the actual people who are impacted by the news of the day. Each night, Ingraham challenges the decision-makers to focus on everyday, hard-working Americans who serve as the backbone of the nation. The program also highlights the importance of faith and reveals stories that showcase the American spirit.
In addition to her role at FNC, Ingraham is the host of her podcast, The Laura Ingraham Show. Previously, her radio program earned her the spot as the most-listened-to-woman in political talk radio on hundreds of stations nationwide. She has a very popular YouTube channel where she uploads video clips from her show. She also posts these clips on Twitter.
Jake Tapper
Jake is an American journalist and the lead Washinton Anchor of CNN. He has written two New York Times bestselling novels, The Hellfire Club and The Devil May Dance, as well as the bestselling nonfiction book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, which was turned into a critically acclaimed film in 2020. He is the lead DC anchor and chief Washington correspondent for CNN.
A Dartmouth graduate and Philly native, he lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, daughter, and son. He has taken his knowledge to the social media world, where he posts about current events and political updates.
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American talk show host, author and one of the top conservative political commentators. He currently serves as host of FOX News Channel’s (FNC) Hannity (weeknights, 9 PM/ET). Based in New York, he joined the network in 1996 and this year achieved the title of the longest-running current primetime host in cable news in television history.
As one of the most prominent and influential conservative voices in the country, Hannity showcases his candid, provocative style and conservative commentary on politics and the American agenda. The show also features Hannity’s signature monologue, where he opens the hour, breaking down hot topics of the day.
He has taken advantage of the digital world by being extremely active on Twitter, where he shares current events and opinions, and retweets current events and news.
Vitus “V” Spehar
Vitas is known as ‘Under The Desk News’ on TikTok. They became a very accomplished TikToker and political advocate.
Under The Desk News™ started out as a series expanding on news events in a nutshell and quickly became GenZ and Millenials’ go-to source for news.
V’s in-depth citizen journalism led them to collaborate with notable figures like former President Obama, President Biden, and a dozen other members of Congress to lucidly inform and push for civic participation. They’ve even brought their humanity-first style coverage to audio, hosting Lemonada Media’s podcast V Interesting which debuted in the top 10 News podcasts in June of 2022 and has held a steady place in the Top 25 News podcasts since.
V has mastered the art of short-form, giving audiences brief recaps of notable headlines daily. They post about current events and do a very great job of explaining in-depth news to help their followers understand the information.
Bill O’Reilly
Bill is an American conservative commentator, journalist, author, and television host. He joined the Fox News Channel to anchor his own show, originally called The O’Reilly Report. The program soon moved to a more prominent time slot and was renamed The O’Reilly Factor.
As the Emmy Award-winning host of that show, O’Reilly enjoyed widespread fame and consistently high ratings. His outspokenness and aggressive interviewing style helped to define the FNC brand and to solidify his cultivated image as a gruff, plainspoken commentator.
His most recent book, titled Killing The Witches, is about a frightening event in American history: the events of 1692 and 1693 in Salem Village, Massachusetts.
Lenard Larry McKelvey
Lenard is known professionally as Charlamagne tha God or simply Charlamagne, is an American radio host and television personality. From his controversial interviews and witty banter to his thought-provoking commentary on a range of social issues, Charlamagne has established himself as a charismatic and influential personality.
In 2017, he published his first book, “Black Privilege,” in which he shares his personal journey and insights on how individuals can overcome obstacles to achieve success. He is best known for being the co-host of the nationally syndicated hip-hop iHeartRadio program The Breakfast Club.
Candace Owens
Candace Amber Owens Farmer is an author, activist, television presenter, and one of the top American conservative political commentators. She gained a large following by discussing her views on pressing political and social issues.
Described as “the new face of black conservatism”, Owens has been recognized for her pro-Trump activism despite being initially critical of the former president and the Republican Party. She is known for her criticism of Black Lives Matter. Owens served as the communications director for the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA between 2017 and 2019.
Politically, Owens has expressed skepticism about the extent of white supremacy’s impact on society and has voiced opposition to both COVID-19 lockdowns and COVID-19 vaccines. She has also promoted numerous conspiracy theories.
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