Media access, not scholarly merit, determines who becomes a prominent intellectual

Evidence

Of course, it is now widely recognized that the definition and fate of being a prominent black public intellectual - or public intellectual in general - has as much to do with the media as it does with possessing the skills and knowledge that allows one to perform such a role. Often there is a strong inversion between those intellectuals who have access to the media and those who question, interrogate, and challenge authority rather than simply serve it. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 2681

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the media-driven construction of public figures in White Noise and the reputation economies of the diamond trade passages. — connects to: Scholarly impact depends on timing and resonance more than on scholarly merit. — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 2640