Joe Rogan And Spotify Under Fire After Medical Community Sends Open Letter About Allowing False Information On The Streaming Site
Comedian Joe Rogan, who's popular podcast is now a Spotify staple, has come under fire by the medical community after some guests including Dr. Robert Malone, who was suspended by Twitter due to his conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 Pandemic, came on to spout baseless ideas about the virus and how to handle it.
In an open letter to Spotify, the community of 270 scientists, professors, doctors and healthcare workers pointed out the blatant falsehoods being spread by Malone and others who have been on The Joe Rogan Experience. In the opening of the letter they gave this statement,
On Dec. 31, 2021, the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), a Spotify-exclusive podcast, uploaded a highly controversial episode featuring guest Dr. Robert Malone (#1757). The episode has been criticized for promoting baseless conspiracy theories and the JRE has a concerning history of broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. By allowing the propagation of false and societally harmful assertions, Spotify is enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in scientific research and sow doubt in the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals. JRE #1757 is not the only transgression to occur on the Spotify platform, but a relevant example of the platform's failure to mitigate the damage it is causing.
Rogan's own theories were brought into question in the letter,
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Rogan has repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast, provoking distrust in science and medicine. He has discouraged vaccination in young people and children, incorrectly claimed that mRNA vaccines are "gene therapy," promoted off-label use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 (contrary to FDA warnings), and spread a number of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.
The group added their concern for how guests, including Malone, compared the pandemic policies to the Holocast, stating,
These actions are not only objectionable and offensive, but also medically and culturally dangerous.
They ended the letter with the following statment followed by the names of those who backed the letter,
This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform. We, the undersigned doctors, nurses, scientists, and educators thus call on Spotify to immediately establish a clear and public policy to moderate misinformation on its platform.
Rogan : for which he also took heat for.
According to Deadline, Spotify has yet to respond to the letter.
