Vox populi

"Voice of the people" redirects here. For other uses, see Voice of the people (disambiguation).

"Man on the street" redirects here. For the Dollhouse episode, see Man on the Street.

For other uses, see Vox populi (disambiguation).

Vox populi ( /ˈvɒks ˈpɒpjuːlaɪ/^[1] voks pop-ew-ly), a Latin phrase that literally means voice of the people, is a term often used in broadcasting for interviews with members of the "general public".

Vox pop, the man on the street

A vox pop interview

American television personality Steve Allen as the host of The Tonight Show pioneered the "man on the street" interviews and audience-participation comedy breaks that have become commonplace on late-night TV. Usually the interviewees are shown in public places, and supposed to be giving spontaneous opinions in a chance encounter — unrehearsed persons, not selected in any way. As such, broadcast journalists almost always refer to them as the abbreviated vox pop. In U.S. broadcast journalism it is often referred to as a man on the street interview or M.O.T.S.^[2] The technique was especially used in reporting surrounding the United Kingdom general election in 2005.^[3]

Because the results of such an interview are unpredictable at best, usually vox pop material is edited down very tightly. This presents difficulties of balance, in that the selection used ought to be, from the point of view of journalistic standards, a fair cross-section of opinions.

Although the two can be quite often confused, a vox pop is not a form of a survey. Each person is asked the same question; the aim is to get a variety of answers and opinions on any given subject. Journalists are usually instructed to approach a wide range of people to get varied answers from different points of view. The interviewees should be of various ages, genders, classes and communities so that the diverse views and reactions of the general people will be known. Generally, the vox pop question will be asked of different persons in different parts of streets or public places. But as an exception, in any specific topic or situation which is not concerned to general people, the question can be asked only in a specific group to know what the perception/reaction is of that group to the specific topic or issue; e.g., a question can be asked to a group of students about the quality of their education.

Proverbial use

Often quoted as, Vox populi, vox dei (/ˌvɒks ˈpɒpjuːlaɪ ˌvɒks ˈdiːaɪ/), "The voice of the people [is] the voice of God", is an old proverb often erroneously attributed to William of Malmesbury in the twelfth century.^[4]

Another early reference to the expression is in a letter from Alcuin to Charlemagne in 798, although it is believed to have been in earlier use.^[5] The full quotation from Alcuin reads:

Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit.^[6]

English translation:

And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the voice of the people is the voice of God, since the riotousness of the crowd is always very close to madness.^[7]

The usage indicates that the phrase had long since become an aphorism of common political wisdom by Alcuin and Charlemagne's time.

Cultural references

• "Vox Populi" is a paper by Sir Francis Galton, first published in the March 7, 1907 issue of Nature that mathematically demonstrates the "wisdom of crowds."^[8]
• "Vox Populi" is a book that was written by Timothy E. Gregory and published in 1979 that explores 5th century religious tension in the Middle East.
• "Vox Populi" is on the seal of the Alabama House of Representatives.^[9]
• "Vox Populi" is a song by rock band 30 Seconds to Mars.
• "Vox Populi" is the name of a resistance movement in the game BioShock Infinite.
• "Vox Populi" is mentioned in a speech by the character "V" in V for Vendetta.

See also

• List of Latin phrases
• Greg Packer, a quasi-professional vox pop interviewee.

References

1. ^ Merriam Webster; Random House
2. ^ Prato, Lou (April 1999). "Easy to Do, But Often Worthless". American Journalism Review. http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=3299. Retrieved 28 December 2010. 
3. ^ Lawrence, Jon (May 2009). "The hustings, broadcasters and the future of British democracy" (in English). History & Policy. United Kingdom: History & Policy. http://www.historyandpolicy.org/papers/policy-paper-86.html. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 
4. ^ Vox populi, vox Dei: Definition of vox populi, vox Dei, sacklunch.net
5. ^ Jstor.org
6. ^ The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations,uie third edition, Oxford University Press, 1993.
7. ^ Alcuinus on Vox pops, Vox populi, Vox pop (oxfordreference.com), Quote of the Day, 2004-02-11
8. ^ Francis Galton. "Vox Populi". March 7, 1907.
9. ^ Alabama State Legislature