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Trying to silence Jon Stewart, one of the most influential political comedians of the modern era, is never a good idea. But determining if that's what Apple intended to do by cancelling his Apple TV+ talk show, The Problem With Jon Stewart, is the task now faced by a special committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
That's right, members of Congress are now assigned to investigate whether Apple CEO Tim Cook elected to cancel Jon Stewart’s program because the host may have been planning an upcoming episode about China.
In a letter to Cook, written on Wednesday, the leaders of the House of Representatives' Select Committee on Competition with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wrote, “While companies have the right to determine what content is appropriate for their streaming service, the coercive tactics of a foreign power should not be directly or indirectly influencing these determinations.”
The letter was signed by committee chair Rep. Michael Gallagher (R-Wisc.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the panel’s ranking Democrat. The message continued, “If these reports are accurate, it potentially speaks to broader concerns about indirect Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence over the creative expression of American artists and companies on CCP-related topics. It also highlights an additional reason, beyond the traditionally cited national security rationales, why we encourage Apple to accelerate its efforts to reduce its dependence on the PRC in its core business.”
The letter appears to be alluding to Apple's heavy reliance on the manufacturing of its technological devices from Chinese factories. The American government would like Apple to help the U.S. economy by manufacturing more of its products in the states.
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In addition, if the tech giant wishes to be a major player in the Hollywood streaming wars, it's non-traditional studio background as a technology company may impede its objectiveness on matters of creative expression. A New York Times article recently revealed that Jon Stewart told his staff members that not only the potential China episode, but also a possible upcoming show about artificial intelligence, “were causing concern among Apple executives.”
The congressional letter delved deeper, asking, “If Jon Stewart can potentially be impeded from offering commentary on the CCP, what does this mean for less prominent personalities? While there is a chance that a high-profile individual like Jon Stewart can locate another streaming service where he can express his views on PRC-related matters, an aspiring comedian who wants to use satire to make broader points about human rights and authoritarianism faces even bleaker prospects.”
Further, the representatives added, “Respectfully, we believe that this needs to change and responsible creative professionals should be able to freely write and perform on PRC-related topics.”
Neither Tim Cook nor any other Apple spokespersons have yet to respond to the letter, which requested a briefing from Apple on the matter by December 15th.
The letter, which also requested to speak with representatives of Jon Stewart, concluded by noting, “To reassure the creative community in light of these reports, we also respectfully request that Apple publicly commit that content that could be perceived as critical of the CCP or the PRC is welcome on Apple TV+ and other Apple services.” Now it seems the ball is in Tim Cook's court, as the American public anxiously awaits a reply — or at least a sign of those three little “I'm typing” text bubble dots.
