US lawmakers have asked Apple Inc to explain the abrupt end of political comedian Jon Stewart’s television show on its streaming service, according to a letter made public on Wednesday, citing concerns that China-related content was behind the cancellation.
The New York Times reported last month that Stewart’s show was ending on Apple’s streaming service because of creative differences. The newspaper said Stewart told members of his staff that potential show topics related to China and artificial intelligence were of concern to Apple executives.
Apple declined to comment to the Times.
“While companies have the right to determine what content is appropriate for their streaming service, the coercive tactics of a foreign power should not directly or indirectly influence those decisions,” the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House of Representatives’ Select Committee on Competition with the Chinese Communist Party said in the letter to Apple chief executive Tim Cook.
The letter asked Apple representatives for a briefing on its concerns by 15 December 2023. It said it also expected to speak to representatives of Stewart.
“To reassure the creative community in light of these reports, we also respectfully request that Apple make a public commitment that content that could be perceived as critical of the CCP or the PRC is welcome on Apple TV+ and other Apple services,” said the letter, which was signed by the panel’s Republican chairman, Representative Michael Gallagher, and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the panel’s ranking Democrat.
The letter was released ahead of an expected dinner on Wednesday night when top US business leaders will dine with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco as he seeks to woo American companies and counter his country’s recent struggles to attract foreign investment.
The dinner, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum, would follow a day of talks between Xi and Joe Biden aimed at stabilising the fraught relationship between the world’s two largest economies.
The House committee has made China’s control of the media a focus of its work.
US lawmakers have long expressed concern about potential censorship by the Chinese government, given the ruling Communist Party’s tight control over the media. The concern is particularly acute for Hollywood films, as some studios have altered or self-censored scripts to appease Chinese government watchdogs and gain access to the country’s market.
