tidbits of political gossip; political gossip
Refers to informal, often behind-the-scenes stories or rumors about the political world. The word 余聞 suggests something heard incidentally or as an aside.
The journalist enjoys collecting tidbits of political gossip.
政界 means 'political world' or 'political circles' in general, while 政界余聞 specifically refers to gossip or anecdotes from that world.
余聞 alone means 'rumor' or 'hearsay', often with a nuance of incidental or stray information. 政界余聞 narrows this to the political sphere.
Compound of 政界 (political world) and 余聞 (rumor, hearsay). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is conventionally used for political gossip.