(I) Academics are smart and fast, and, in nonscientific fields such as law and history, they can be very fluent. (II) They are able to supply plausible commentary at short notice on pretty much any subject that engages the interest of the public. (III) The greater that interest, the greater the outpouring of instant commentary. (IV) But when academics speak unprepared, especially about matters outside their area of expertise, the quality tends to go down. (V) Furthermore, topics such as foreign affairs, terrorism, security, the intricacies of politics and the like have been studied extensively.