A critic is a professional who is communicating their opinions and assessments of various forms of creative work such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture and food. Critical judgments, whether derived of
critical thinking or not, may be positive, negative, or balanced, weighing a combination of factors both for and against.
Formally, the word is applied to persons who are publicly accepted and to a significant degree followed because of the quality of their assessments or their reputation. Unlike other individuals who may editorialize on subjects via Web sites or letters written to publications, professional critics are paid to produce their opinions for print, radio, magazine, television, or Internet companies. Persons who give opinions on current events, public affairs, sports, media, and historical events are often referred to as "
pundits" instead of "critics. "
Critics are themselves subject to competing critics, since critical judgments always entail some degree of
subjectivity. An established critic can play a powerful role as a public
arbiter of taste or opinion.