Vox populi

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Vox populi, which means literally in Latin voice of the people, is often used in broadcasting for interviews of members of the 'general public'; 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, they are almost always referred to by broadcast journalists as the abbreviated vox pop.

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

Often quoted as Vox populi, vox dei.

a synonym can also be MOS or Man on the Street interview.

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