'Vox Populi' is a paper by Sir Francis Galton, first published in the 7 March 1907 issue of Nature, that demonstrates the ' wisdom of the crowd' by a statistical analysis of the guesses from a weight-judging contest.

Of those who promoted the phrase and the idea, Archbishop of Canterbury Walter Reynolds brought charges against King Edward II in 1327 in a sermon ' Vox populi, vox Dei'. Writing in the early 12th century, William of Malmesbury refers to the saying as a 'proverb'. With increasing public familiarity with the term, several radio and television programs have been named 'vox pop' in allusion to this practice.Īnd 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. 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. Generally, the vox pop question will be asked of different persons in different parts of streets or public places. The interviewees should be of various ages, sexes, classes and communities so that the diverse views and reactions of the general people will be known. Journalists are usually instructed to approach a wide range of people to get varied answers from different points of view. Each person is asked the same question the aim is to get a variety of answers and opinions on any given subject. 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.Īlthough the two can be quite often confused, a vox pop is not a form of a survey. The results of such an interview are unpredictable at best, and therefore vox pop material is usually edited down very tightly. broadcast journalism it is often referred to as a man on the street interview or MOTS. As such, journalists almost always refer to them as the abbreviated vox pop. 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. American television personality Steve Allen as the host of The Tonight Show further developed the 'man on the street' interviews and audience-participation comedy breaks that have become commonplace on late-night TV.

Vox day vox populi