On Tuesday (February 1), the White House directed audio streaming platform Spotify to take ‘more’ steps in censoring podcast host Joe Rogan for allegedly spreading Covid-19 related misinformation. The development came a day after Spotify announced that it will add a content warning to Covid-19 related discussions and podcasts on its platform.
While speaking about the matter, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had stated, “Our hope is that all major tech platforms — and all major news sources for that matter — be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the American people have access to accurate information on something as significant as COVID-19.”
She further added, “That certainly includes Spotify. So this disclaimer, it’s a positive step, but we want every platform to continue doing more to call out misinformation while also uplifting accurate information”
WH Press Sec. Jen Psaki on Spotify’s new disclaimer to flag misinformation following Joe Rogan backlash:
— The Recount (@therecount) February 1, 2022
“This disclaimer is a positive step, but we want every platform to continue doing more to call out mis- and disinformation, while also uplifting accurate information.” pic.twitter.com/j8HcC4uTYC
She also claimed that an unvaccinated Covid-19 infected individual is 16 times more likely to be hospitalised and 68 times more likely to die than someone who has taken the jab. “That’s pretty significant. We think that should be the basis of how people should be communicating about it,” Psaki concluded.
Spotify is an online streaming behemoth with more than 300 mn monthly listeners, including more than 170 mn who pay for subscriptions to the service.
Joe Rogan and the controversy surrounding Spotify
TV personality Joe Rogan has been in the midst of controversy for claiming that young Americans were not at risk of contracting the Wuhan Coronavirus and therefore did not need to take the vaccine. He has also been at the receiving end of criticism for interviewing an infectious disease expert Dr Robert Malone, who in the podcast episode streamed on December 31 had opposed COVID-19 vaccines for children.
Since the podcast raised aspersions about Covid-19 vaccines for children, a large number of people had slammed Rogan for sowing disinformation about vaccination among the public. It must be mentioned that Joe Rogan was roped in by Spotify in 2020 at a whopping $100 million for the exclusive rights of his popular, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast.
The programme is among the top podcasts on Spotify and is reportedly downloaded by over 200 million times a month. As per The Independent, the TV personality had not uploaded any new episodes since the controversy.
Canadian-American musician Neil Young had threatened the audio streaming platform to choose between him and Rogan. Spotify responded by pulling down the former’s music from the platform. Several media outlets, PhD candidates and medical professionals had written to the audio platform to take action against Joe Rogan.
Meanwhile, Rogan had tendered an apology and vowed to maintain a ‘balance’ in views in his future shows. He emphasised, “I’m not trying to promote misinformation. I’m not trying to be controversial,” he said. “I’ve never tried to do anything with this podcast other than just talk to people and have interesting conversations.”
Interestingly, Spotify announced that it has a critical role to provide a balance between allowing the creators to express their opinions and ensuring the safety of the users on the platform. On Wednesday (February 2), Spotify CEO Daniel Ek had also responded to the controversy by siding with Joe Rogan.
He said, “We don’t change our policies based on one creator, nor do we change it based on any media cycle or call from anyone else. I do believe they’re right for our platform. And while Joe has a massive audience — he is actually the No. 1 podcast in more than 90 markets — he also has to abide by those policies.”
