A "punditocracy" is influence or rule (like an "aristocracy") by political pundits and pundettes. The term was used by political pundit Michael Kinsley in 1987, but was popularized by Eric Alterman in the August 1988 New York (NY) Times article "A Neo-Con Job by the Punditocracy" and in his book, Sound and Fury: The Washington Punditocracy and the Collapse of American Politics (1992).
1.A group of political pundits who are thought to have too much influence.
Usually used as disparaging or tongue-in-cheek commentary on the extent of pundits' influence (alluding to aristocracy or theocracy), rather than to suggest that a government is literally led by pundits.
Etymology: < pundit n. + -ocracy comb. form.
Elite members of the news media, typically seen as having political power in their own right. Cf. commentariat n.
1987 M. Kinsley in Wall St. Jrnl. 10 Sept. 33/1 This analysis comes from..the Washington punditocracy, including leading conservative sages whose concern for the health of the Democratic Party is, let us say, problematic.
1993 New York 21 June 16/2 The punditocracy can be an arrogant, blinkered lot, given to singing from the same conventional sheet music.
Publisher: New York : HarperCollins Publishers, ©1992.
Summary: Never in our history has the American political system seemed so aimless, so irrelevant, and so downright disgraceful as it does today. Television has become dominant to the point that it now not only serves as the sole viable medium for the debate of issues but has also provided the fodder for political platforms, and even budding presidential candidates. "Objective" reporting in the print media is political double-speak, but, even more important, it deprives us of the context that would allow us to make an informed judgment about a given issue.
Publisher: New York : Praeger, 1992.
Series: Praeger series in political communication.
7. Conclusion: Democracy or Punditocracy?