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 emotions, 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 of the civil rights struggle was
brought into U.S. 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 dimension
when it was exported directly into U.S. living rooms night after night by
television. Public opinion eventually turned against the war and to some measure
against President Johnson who was associated with it. As a result of the public
opinion backlash 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 centre of his foreign policy, and, to
some degree, to the centre of international politics. "Human rights are 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 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 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 television coverage of human rights issues has all the effects
EXCEPT ______.
A. reduction in the cases of human rights violation
B. prompted attempts at censorship by dictators
C. increased respect for different cultures and attitudes
D. heightened international concern over human rights abuses