Last month, a person familiar with the matter told The New York Times that Stewart told his staff that the cancellation came after “potential show topics related to China and artificial intelligence were causing concern among Apple executives.” Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Stewart felt “hamstrung” by Apple’s requests to be “aligned” regarding topics on the show.
Lawmakers confirmed that they would also reach out to Stewart to hear his side of the story.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
These steps, lawmakers wrote, are critical to help address “broader concerns about indirect Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence over the creative expression of American artists and companies on CCP-related topics.”
Lawmakers wrote that Cook’s “recent trip to Beijing” makes it appear as if “maintaining a positive relationship with the CCP may be a priority given ongoing supply chain and financial dependencies.”
“We support the ability of artists, writers, studios, and streaming services alike to create content without fear of potential CCP retaliation and punishment,” lawmakers wrote.
“We similarly encourage American technology companies to diversify their supply chains, reduce their potential susceptibility to CCP pressure, and decrease their overall dependence on” China.
That is the primary focus of the House’s Select Committee on Competition with the Chinese Communist Party, and in the lawmakers’ letter to Cook, they said that “potential decisions to not renew shows, or not produce a film or show in the first place, due to anticipated CCP objections to particular content deny US viewers and global audiences access to important information” about China that “reflects a broader variety of perspectives” and “speaks to an important geopolitical challenge of our time.”
Lawmakers noted that if a major star like Jon Stewart can be censored, there can be little hope for “an aspiring comedian who wants to use satire to make broader points about human rights and authoritarianism.”
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