Position Paper #1 (Political Pundits)

 Political Pundits: Roland S. Martin 

    Political pundits are very prevalent today in society. During a time like now, everyone has their opinion on politics nowadays. From political figures to celebrities, they want to take a swing at voicing their thoughts on what is right and wrong in politics. The public clings to the beliefs of political pundits and how much they know or are informed on politics. Many political pundits can be described as insensitive and very opinionated to the point where they have to apologize for their comments. 

    Political pundits practically embody all things politics. Most of the political pundits are seen on TV channels such as CNN, ABC, and Fox. The political pundit that I will be discussing today fits all the criteria. The political pundit I am talking about is Roland S. Martin. Roland Martin is a American journalist born November 14, 1968. He was a commentator for TV One, the host of News One Now, and Washington on Watch With Roland S. Martin. He was also a CNN contributor, appearing on a variety of shows, including The Situation Room, Anderson Cooper's AC360, and many others. In October 2008, he joined the Tom Joyner Morning Show as senior analyst (Roland S. Martin Wiki). News One Now provided Roland S. Martin with opportunities to speak about the issues surrounding the black community. Also, Roland hosted a three-hour radio show called The Roland Martin Show. He currently hosts a web series, Roland Martin Unfiltered on YouTube. Since Roland S. Martin has spent so many years in journalism, it is only fair to credit him as a political pundit. His predictions on the 2016 elections were stated that if Trump were elected, white nationalists were brought forth to power to take over. Many other political figures believe there is some truth to that and others argued it is false. Predictive journalism from political pundits can hold depth to the public from time to time. The public thrives off of political pundits and their views. At the end of the day, there are layers to be dissected if you choose to solely believe political pundits' viewpoint. Sometimes their predictions can be questionable. 

    Roland S. Martin tends to advocate for African American issues and politics. Before his departure from CNN, Martin had a lot of epic battles with far right-wing Republicans. From clips gathering about his opinions, Martin does not like when someone makes comments on anything black related if they have not thoroughly researched the material. As far anything conservative, Martin tries to deploy any misconceptions that only African Americans are liberals. Martin argues whether whatever political party you belong to, as long as the issues associated with African Americans are addressed with respect and appropriately. Challenging guests on his show, Roland Martin holds nothing back with confronting his guests with his opinions. In some parts, Roland Martin can become impatient and talk over people when they say someone out of line. 

    Roland S. Martin spends so much time on African American issues because he is very passionate about it. He showcases how important black voices are to be heard and how we can be pillars in politics. Considering his many debates and showdowns with conservatives, Roland S. Martin has not been in many controversies. One controversy that many believe led to his departure from CNN dates back to 2012. On February 5, 2012, Roland Martin's Twitter account responded to an underwear advertisement featuring the association football player David Beckham, stating "If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!" GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) responded on its website: “Martin’s tweets today advocating violence against gay people weren’t an accident — they are a part of a larger pattern for Martin. Anti-gay violence in America is a serious problem". In response to the tweets, it was reported that Roland Martin had been suspended by CNN for the controversial remarks. 

    His suspension was lifted on March 14, 2012 (Roland S. Martin Wiki). Showing a coincidence is that in March of the next following year he says he is leaving CNN. It could have just been him branching out on his own and starting up his own show because in that same year he was hosting a news program News One Now. News One Now was a news broadcast show that premiered on TV One. Many of whom do not know that TV One is a network that provides entertainment, news, and lifestyle for African Americans similar to BET. Even though Roland S. Martin's shows have been canceled, these days he is still invited as a guest commentator talking black issues in politics on CNN, Fox, and ABC. He hosts his own web series on YouTube called Roland Martin Unfiltered. 

    This series tackles everything about what he calls "Black America." He is very active on his social media platforms. His social media falls nothing short of supporting African Americans issues and how they can be addressed. His website showcases all the latest updates on Roland's podcasts, interviews, and his showtimes. Roland Martin Twitter account has 576k followers. His YouTube account rakes up to 621k followers. Roland Martin has many different awards attached to his name for bravery to being honest about issues that matter to people the most. He is a four-time NAACP Image Award winner, including named Best Host for the last two years. Martin has been named one of the top 50 political pundits by the Daily Telegraph in the United Kingdom, and has appeared numerous times on a variety of American networks, as well as media outlets in Canada, Columbia, Italy, Australia and South Africa (Roland S. Martin Achievements). Overall, Roland S. Martin has done a tremendous job on covering news about politics and being a pillar and advocating for African American in politics. His work does not go unnoticed.

Sources

https://rolandsmartin.com/about-roland-s-martin/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Martin_(journalist)