Jimmy Kimmel and Charlie Kirk's AI resurrection
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I’m in New York City this week for an all day event on Friday and some other meetings before heading to Washington D.C. next week.
My schedule is pretty packed, but if there are any interesting things going on in NYC this week or Washington D.C. next week, send them along :). In the meantime, my newsletter might be a little light, but I’m working on some longer pieces for October, so please stay tuned!!
Last week, ABC and Nexstar yanked Jimmy Kimmel's show off the air after he made a joke related to Charlie Kirk's death that the Trump admin didn't like. FCC commissioner Brendan Carr warned ABC and Disney that there could be regulatory consequences if the network didn’t respond.
Now, Jimmy is (sort of) back on the air, but also not. As People reported, “Nexstar Media, which operates 32 ABC-affiliated stations, has shared that it will continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! — following the Walt Disney Company's announcement that the show will return on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
“We made a decision last week to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse. We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve," Nexstar said in the statement.
All of this is a gross assault on free speech, and to discuss it (and more!) I had Ari Cohn, Lead Counsel for Tech Policy at the Foundation For Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) for an interview on my YouTube channel.
Ari is one of the foremost experts on free speech laws and censorship campaigns, and you can watch the full discussion here.
Charlie Kirk's AI resurrection
At least three churches used AI-generated clips of Charlie Kirk in services last weekend as AI slop proliferates and becomes increasingly infused with religious messaging. (I wrote about this growing phenomenon a few weeks ago before Kirk’s death).
Mega churches and Christian fundamentalists have long embraced digital technology in order to spread their messaging. These churches were some of the first to embrace livestreaming and using audio and visual effects during their sermons. Pastors at mega churches leaned into pop culture and technology, and were among the earliest to build public-facing personas on social platforms like Instagram.