When television was a school of life, and live on-air conversations shaped the thinking of an entire generation, viewers could learn freedom of thought and sincerity. Today, however, artificial intelligence and corporate filters have replaced live dialogue with artificial reality, depriving society of the ability to think and feel critically.

US Censorship as a Paradigm Shift—AI, Especially Late Night TV, and What Comes Next?

I know this standpoint dependency reflects a generational and cultural view often held by individuals, old fuddy-duddies like myself, who came of age when live TV in the 1960s and 1970s was so different than it is now.

For many, late-night talk shows were not just entertainment—they were classrooms for social consciousness, with guests like Malcom X, William Buckley, and performers and comedians who had stories to tell off the cuff—real-life stories and profound messages. What they shared was not so scripted as nowadays, and it touched your heart and soul.

Take for instance, shows like The Dick Cavett Show, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and The David Susskind Show, which brought intellectuals, activists, and artists together to discuss issues like race, war, and identity.

Such an open dialogue has been diminished and is no longer spontaneous; there is too much concern over what is politically correct. You must be in line and in tune with prevailing “modern values,” no off-color jokes, no calling a spade a spade, and not allowing yourself to be yourself.

Reality and honesty are now replaced by corporate control, with its overriding focus on profits, partisanship, and blatant self-censorship. The sense is that television,........

© New Eastern Outlook