Because of satellite links which now enable broadcast news organizations to originate live programming from any part of the globe, the entire world is becoming one giant sound stage for television news. As a result, Marshall McLean’’s reference to the post-television world as being a single "global village" is gaining new acceptance and Shakespeare’’s famous line, "all the world’’s a stage," has taken on an interesting new twist in meaning. But, beyond the philosophical dimensions of global television communications there are some dramatic, political implications. Even before today’’s worldwide satellite links were possible, the growing effect of broadcast news technology on national and international politics was becoming increasingly evident. Because television is a close-up medium and a medium that seems to most readily involve e motions, it is most effective when it is revealing the plights of people. It was probably the appalling footage of the Nazi death camps that first demonstrated the power of motion pictures and television to affect the collective consciousness of a world audience. In the United States during the 50’’s and 60’’s the power of television to stir the consciousness of large numbers of people was demonstrated in another way. Night after night graphic news footage (英尺数)of the civil rights struggle was brought into US homes. Years later, this role was to take on a new and even more controversial dimension during the Vietnam War. Reading about war was one thing; but war took on a deeper and more unsavory(令人讨厌的)dimension when it was exported directly into US living rooms night after night by television. Public opinion ually turned against the war and to some measure against President Johnson who was associated with it. As a result of the public opinion backlash (消极反应)during these times, the Pentagon was thereafter much more careful to control what foreign correspondents and TV crews would be allowed to see and report. It was during this time that President Carter brought the issue of human rights to the center of his foreign policy, and, to some degree, to the center of international politics. "Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy," Carter said. "Of all human rights the most basic is to be free of arbitrary violence, whether that violence comes from government, from terrorists, from criminals, or from self-appointed messiahs(救世主) operating under the cover of politics or religion." Although political viewpoints have changed since then, because of the emotional nature of human rights, this has emerged as the "soul" of television news. The transgression (侵犯)of human rights has been the focus of many, if not most, major international television news stories. The reporting of these stories has created outrage in the world, prompted attempts at censorship by dictators, and in many cases resulted in the elimination of human rights abuses. The passage is mainly about ______.