Political commentary is the expression of opinion about politics, government and public policy. It may be found in many forms: political cartoons, editorials, and talk shows. It is an important part of a democracy, holding leaders accountable, educating the public, and shaping political discourse. However, it can also be biased or misleading, making critical thinking necessary.
In a society with a free press and mass media, commentaries are commonly available in newspapers, television and radio. A newspaper’s editorial stance—liberal or conservative—shapes the way events are framed and presented to readers. Some newspapers add op-eds, opinions from writers unaffiliated with the paper. Television news programs fill their air time with opinion from pundits, who are often political consultants and party strategists and members of ideological think tanks. Frequently, these guests disagree vigorously and speak in sound bites.
Newspaper and television commentaries provide a framework for understanding public policies, identifying problems, and suggesting solutions. These frameworks are based on generic framing, which consists of selecting, editing and organizing stories, assigning them particular perspectives, and highlighting some aspects of an event at the expense of others (Reese & Gandy Jr, 2001). This process identifies protagonists and antagonists, names causes of an issue, and frames a narrative that shapes perceptions about the event or policy.
The social science of political analysis is unique in that it requires not just knowledge about history and international relations but also the ability to explore political processes as they evolve. Thus, the interpretivist approach to political analysis seeks not to explain an outcome like a tax reduction but rather to examine the context that gave rise to such a change in policy, for example, the ideologies and beliefs that contributed to it.