Intellectual who supports a political party in return for benefits

Question

What is the right single word for an intellectual (often a journalist) who is not a member of a political party, but justifies the party's causes to the general public and secretly takes benefit from them in return?

Related: There's the word lobbyist, referring to those who "attempt to influence legislators on behalf of a particular interest." However, a lobbyist isn't generally a journalist, and not all of them take secret benefits, either. — J.R., Mar 03 '13 at 00:04

score 8 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 03 '13 at 04:23

8

A shill is a tout or promoter, with the connotation of figure who endorses a product or service— or candidate or party— on a supposedly independent basis, when in fact he or she is in the service of the person or organization benefiting from the endorsement.

answered Mar 03 '13 at 04:23

choster

43,403

+1. I think this is the only answer so far which captures the dishonest aspect requested by the OP. "secretly takes benefit". – Avner Shahar-Kashtan Mar 03 '13 at 06:52

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 02 '13 at 23:13

A related phrase is fellow traveller,“One who sympathizes with the aims or beliefs of an organization, without belonging to it; most often applied to a Communist sympathizer”. Technically, the phrase applies fairly well in the current context, except that people are unlikely to automatically suppose a fellow traveller is an intellectual or a journalist or secretly receives benefits.

Depending on context, also consider nouns collaborator and quisling, and phrase tame journalist.

So why note use sympathiser – The Frog Mar 02 '13 at 23:50 — The Frog, Mar 02 '13 at 23:50

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 03 '13 at 00:07

2

partisan (noun) an adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, especially a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance. (Dictionary.com)

answered Mar 03 '13 at 00:07

Canis Lupus

22,017

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 03 '13 at 21:29

Two words not previously suggested are hack and hireling. According to R. L. Chapman and B.A. Kipfer, Dictionary of American Slang, Third Edition (1995):

hack 8 n (also ) by 1810 A professional, usu freelance, writer who works to order[.] This sense belongs to hack [definition 1, meaning "A taxicab"], reflecting the notion that such a writer was for hire like a horse, ...

Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003) offers this definition:

hack n. [short for *hack*ney] 3 a : a person who works solely for mercenary reasons : hireling

As for hireling, the Eleventh Collegiate says this:

hireling n : a person who serves for hire esp. for purely mercenary motives

Other options that might suit the situation are apologist, mouthpiece, mercenary, and hired gun.

I like the word apologist. But the word shill serves my present purpose best. — f.nasim, Mar 04 '13 at 03:54

Intellectual who supports a political party in return for benefits

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