Vox populi

[3] 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.

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.

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.

Journalists are usually instructed to approach a wide range of people to get varied answers from different points of view.

With increasing public familiarity with the term, several radio and television programs have been named "vox pop" in allusion to this practice.