The Art of the Vox Pop
My predictable routine has gone to pot this week after an outbreak of sickness amongst my colleagues. As a result I switched jobs, becoming a reporter for the "Politics Show" for a couple of days this week. The ensuing domino effect led to Jim Fitzpatrick taking over the helm at "Inside Politics". His guest is the SDLP leader Mark Durkan. You can catch the programme on BBC Radio Ulster tomorrow at 12.45.
By contrast I found myself on the streets of Ballymena, trying to glean what local people made of Ian Paisley Jr. This is what is known in the trade as the "vox pop" - accosting members of the public going about their lawful business and trying to cajole them into talking about politics.
Sometimes people think broadcasting is a glamorous job, but there is nothing like doing a "vox pop" to disabuse you of this notion. Want an empty street to walk along? Whip out a camera and a microphone. You will see people crossing the street, disappearing into shops and otherwise making themselves scarce as you approach. You will be lower down the street pecking order than the traffic warden or the chugger (aka charity mugger).
Normally I look on collecting vox pops with dread, but once you get going the experience is somehow strangely liberating. You have encounters you didn't expect (I had a lengthy discussion about Rafa Benitez with one young man in a hoodie after soliciting his views on his MLA, and an elderly woman stopped her car to compliment me on my coverage, which makes a change from what people usually shout when they wind their windows down!). It's not exactly scientific, but it's a good counter to living your life in the Stormont bubble.
On which note I think that all senior BBC executives should be required to carry out a vox pop at least once every couple of months. It would get them out of their board rooms, provide some much needed material for our hard pressed programmes, and constitute a reality check on what broadcasting is all about.
Oh, and what did the good people of Ballymena think of their MLA? To find out tune in to the "Politics Show" on BBC1 on Sunday at noon.
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