Here at NewsOne we decided to create a list of the most influential and important Black news pundits on the air today. Some of these pundits host their own TV shows, appear on networks like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, and also hold their own town halls across the country tackling various issues affecting the Black community.

Our list is ranked according to who we think is the top Black news pundit today. Feel free to re-order the list and provide us with your opinions.

10. Bob Herbert

One of the most celebrated Black journalists of our era, Bob Herbert, enters our list at number ten.

The former prized possession of the New York Times, Herbert, is now a Senior Fellow at the national think-tank, Demos; and a TV personality on networks such as MSNBC and CNN where he regularly appears conversing about political, education, and racial issues.

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9. Amy Holmes

One of television’s rising stars enters our list at number nine.

Amy Holmes, the independent conservative commentator, shot to fame as a CNN contributor during the 2008 elections. She is now a news anchor for Glenn Beck’s news network, GBTV.

Holmes recently held guest host spots on The View and makes a regular appearance on Bill Maher’s HBO show, Real Time with Bill Maher.

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8. Toure

Coming in at number eight is the essayist, music journalist, novelist, television personality, and cultural critic otherwise known as Toure.

Toure has sparked the minds and anger of many in his close to two decades in journalism.

His career started in 1992 when he was fired from Rolling Stone as an intern after dropping out of Emory College during his junior year. A few weeks later, Toure was called back by Rolling Stone to write music reviews and it has been history ever since.

Today, Toure appears on networks such as CNN and MSNBC to talk about everything from sports, politics, and civil rights. He recently released a book titled, “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?” He’s also the host of Fuse’s Hip-Hop Shop and On The Record.

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7. Cornel West

The firebrand Princeton Professor comes in at number six after becoming a regular personality on cable talk shows due to his recent criticism of President Obama.

But the Princeton professor’s resume is nothing to overlook. He is an author, critic, actor, Harvard graduate, and civil rights activist.

West regularly appears on networks such as CNN and MSNBC to talk about a variety of issues.

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6. Eugene Robinson

At number six, we have the Washington Post’s Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and regular contributor on MSNBC, Eugene Robinson.

Robinson, who started his career in the 1970′s at the San Francisco Chronicle, has made it all the way from a regular journalist to becoming one of the most respected columnists in the country.

He has also appeared on the popular Sunday political talk show, Meet The Press.

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5. Melissa Harris Perry

A rising star in the TV world, Tulane Professor Melissa Harris Perry enters our list at number five.

Perry, the author of two books, has been a regular contributor to the Rachel Maddow Show; and has even replaced her as the main host on her off-days.

Her writings appear in numerous national publications like The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Crain’s Chicago Business, and Newsday.

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4. Tavis Smiley

Coming in at number four is the both celebrated and controversial talk show host, author, and political commentator Tavis Smiley.

Smiley, who rode a wave of goodwill for the majority of his time as a personality, lost a lot of it with the African American population and mainstream media when he became what many term an, “Obama hater.”

He frequently appears on CNN and MSNBC to talk about political and racial issues, and also has his nightly TV show on PBS and radio show on PRI.

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3. Rev. Al Sharpton

If someone told you 20 years ago that Rev. Al Sharpton would be one of the top 3 Black news pundits in the world in 2011, you would have laughed at them.

But the person with the last laugh is Rev. Al Sharpton.

The firebrand civil rights activist has transformed his image in the last two decades. He hosts his own radio show, Keepin’ it Real, and recently became the host of the MSNBC nightly show, Politicsnation.

He also appears on FoxNews on a consistent basis to battle the right-leaning opposition.

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2. Donna Brazile

Close, but no cigar.

Coming in at number two is the veteran pundit on this list, the legendary Donna Brazile.

Brazile, who was the first African American to direct a major campaign for a presidential candidate (Al Gore, 2000), has earned the respect of numerous TV networks most notably, CNN.

She is a weekly contributor to CNN’s Situation Room and American Morning. She also contributes to NPR’s Political Corner and ABC News.

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1. Roland Martin

And coming in at number 1, there is no bigger personality on the TV screen than CNN contributor and TV One host, Roland Martin.

The American author and syndicated columnist, Martin, shot to fame during the 2008 election’s with his straight to the point commentary injected with his down south flavor.

The 2008 elections skyrocketed Martin into stardom.

Martin is a commentator for TV One and the host of Washington Watch with Roland Martin, a one-hour Sunday morning news show on the network. He is also a CNN contributor, appearing on a variety of shows, including Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull, The Situation Room, Anderson Cooper‘s AC360, Lou Dobbs Tonight, and many others. In October 2008, he joined the Tom Joyner Morning Show as senior analyst.

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During the interview, Smiley is unapologetic about his criticism of Obama saying, “My job has always been to hold presidents accountable to the best interest of all Americans but specifically and unapologetically for [African-Americans].”

“It’s just funny to me that people get more riled up and more excited and more angry about what I may or may not say about the president than they do about the crisis in black boys. If Negroes could get half as mad at what black boys are enduring as they do when Cornel West or Tavis Smiley says something, we might get something done.”

Read more at The Grio.

RELATED:

Open Letter To Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, And The Obama Critics

Tavis Smiley On Obama: “He Froze Me Out”

1. Oprah Winfrey
Initially The Oprah Winfrey Show was just another talk show when it debuted in 1986. But what made it stand out and rise above the rest was the show’s host. Now The Oprah Winfrey Show is only a small part of Oprah’s empire, and in 2011, will cease to exist in its current format. But not because the show is cancelled, Oprah is moving onto something bigger than her own show. She’s starting her own network, appropriately called OWN.

2. Arsenio Hall
The Arsenio Hall Show revolutionized late night television. Just ask Bill Clinton who many say would have never won the 1992 presidential election had it not been for his surprise appearance on that show.

3. Mo’Nique
Unlike Arsenio, The Mo’Nique Show has a lot more competition in that late night slot. But the Oscar-winning comedienne has been able to hold her own against, pulling in her own unique audience on BET. While the rest of America was tuning into the drama of the late night talk show wars between Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno, plenty others tuned them out and tuned into Mo’Nique.

4. Tyra Banks
A show about service as much as it was celebrity, through The Tyra Show, Tyra used her beauty and brains for good. What Oprah is to the stay-at-home moms of America, Tyra was to the teenagers of America who came home after school and needed a big sister to understand them.

5. Wendy Williams
The popular radio DJ has successfully taken her format and gift of gossip to the small screen. Though Vh1 would air her radio show, The Wendy Williams Show has shown the queen of talk radio can also sit down on a couple of comfortable couch chairs and ask questions with the best of them.

6. Whoopi Goldberg

The moderator of The View is fearless and isn’t afraid to call it like she sees it. And if someone else is calling it like she sees it on the show, she’s not afraid to retort or even walk away.

7. Montell Williams
As a former Marine, and a victim to multiple scoliosis, Williams — an Emmy Award winning talk show host — used his show as a platform to bring awareness to various social issues in an aggressive style.

8. Star Jones
The controversial panel member on The View during it’s early years was one of the sharpest and most entertaining women on the panel.

9. Tavis Smiley
Many people were shocked when BET let Tavis Smiley’s contract as host of BET Tonight expire, but the charming media personality has landed on his feet. Now the host of his very own PBS show, Tavis Smiley, Smiley is doing what he does best, interviewing the people we’ve always wanted to talk to ourselves, asking them the questions we’ve always wanted to ask.

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Among the outspoken African-American political and social figures that have criticized President Obama for not doing more for black Americans in these tough economic times, Al Sharpton has emerged as the voice of support for Obama’s presidential initiatives designed to help all Americans.

According to an article written for The Wall Street Journal, “President Barack Obama has turned to Mr. Sharpton in recent weeks to answer increasingly public criticism in the black community over his economic policy. Some black leaders are charging that the nation’s first African-American president has failed to help black communities hit hard by the downturn, leaving party strategists worried that black Democrats will become dispirited and skip November’s congressional elections.”

Sharpton used the platform of his national radio show to fire back stating that “The president does not need to get out there and do what we should be doing,” adding that if the President did just that, it would create just the right climate for conservatives and other Obama critics to defeat legislation that would actually assist blacks, rather than hurt them.

On one particular show, Al Sharpton and Tavis Smiley, prominent black talk show host, butted heads over this issue where Mr. Sharpton stated that “…it was a ‘double standard’ for Mr. Smiley and other critics to expect more from a black president than they would demand of a white Democratic president.”

Although during most of his campaign, President Obama steered clear of historically radical black civil rights leaders, Al Sharpton is now an unlikely ally in addressing the concerns of some black leaders and establishing solidarity for the president.

To read the entire article “Obama’s New Partner: Al Sharpton,” visit The Wall Street Journal online.

Listen to the big debate between Tavis Smiley and Al Sharpton:

Ok so you probably already knew that because you’re older than he is. But check out his latest interview with Tavis Smiley where discusses touring with Jay-Z, his mixtape mayhem, and becoming a great artists.

“I gotta learn how to sell myself without selling myself!”-Trey Songz

Behind the scene photos of “Neighbors Know My Name”

Ok so you probably already knew that because you’re older than he is. But check out his latest interview with Tavis Smiley where discusses touring with Jay-Z, his mixtape mayhem, and becoming a great artists.

“I gotta learn how to sell myself without selling myself!”-Trey Songz

Behind the scene photos of “Neighbors Know My Name”