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Statement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2012
PTC Calls on Apple to Commit to Family-Friendly TV
Programming/No-Porn-App Policy
CUPERTINO (February 23, 2012) –
The Parents Television Council® attended the Apple
shareholder meeting today to ask the company to recommit itself to
Steve Jobs’ pledge that Apple would not facilitate the distribution
of adult-only material within its ecosystem. Gavin McKiernan,
national grassroots director for the PTC, attended the meeting to
deliver remarks on behalf of the PTC’s members. Apple CEO Tim Cook
pledged that Apple would continue the Steve Jobs’ era policy.
Mr. McKiernan also asked for a commitment from the company to
sponsor family-friendly TV programs with its ad buys. Over the past
year, graphic episodes of Fox’s “Family Guy,” and “The Cleveland
Show,” and CBS’ “Two and a Half Men,” among others, featured Apple
advertisements, and Mr. Cook received the comments favorably. The
PTC looks forward to continuing to work with Apple to build a strong
relationship that will ultimately be family-friendly and serve
Apple’s bottom-line.
The following are excerpts from Mr. McKiernan’s delivered remarks:
“First, I come before you today to praise Apple’s commitment to curb
the distribution of adult-oriented material within its ecosystem. To
his credit, Steve Jobs was a leader and visionary not only in
creating amazing products, but in recognizing his company’s
responsibility to help parents prevent children from accessing
material that is inappropriate for them. In the post-Jobs era, is
that a principle parents can count on Apple to continue?
“Out of the same concern for children, I must also alert you of your
advertising practices. Apple has remained a constant sponsor to
problematic shows such as Family Guy, Two and a Half Men, American
Dad, The Cleveland Show, and Vampire Diaries; shows that
consistently feature violence, graphic sexual content and foul
language. In the past year your advertising dollars have helped
scenes such as Peter firing a machine gun at the Amish on Family Guy
and Alan giving his son a penis pump on Two and a Half Men into the
homes of impressionable young minds.
“I am pleading with you on behalf of millions of Americans to bring
the high standards you have for your Apple products to your
advertising practices. I hope you will accept my invitation today to
work with the Parents Television Council to find programming
alternatives that will meet your media goals while maintaining the
brand image that is so valuable to you and my fellow shareholders.”
To speak
with a representative from
the Parents Television
Council, please contact
Megan Franko at (703)
859-5054 or Liz Krieger at
(703) 683-5004 ext. 120.
The Parents Television Council™ (www.parentstv.org®)
is a non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment.
It was founded in 1995 to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence
and profanity on television and in other media. This national
grassroots organization has more than 1.3 million members across the
United States, and works with television producers, broadcasters,
networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and
negative messages targeted to children. The PTC also works with
elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast
decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical
research and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex,
violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is
provided free of charge so parents can make informed viewing choices
for their own families.
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