If you're blissfully unaware of a recent controversy involving Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Joe Rogan, the Covid-19 pandemic, and Spotify, then we commend you. Turn back now if you'd like to keep it that way.
In short: Joe Rogan, who hosts a very popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, has a habit of boosting misinformation about Covid-19. Count an endorsement for ivermectin in treating the virus, as well as inviting a scientist with anti-vaccination views (which have been discredited), among the ever-growing list of examples. Last week, Neil Young threatened to take his music away from Spotify in protest of Rogan's views. Spotify chose Rogan. ("We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify but hope to welcome him back soon,” the company wrote in a statement.) Joni Mitchell followed, taking her music away from the platform as well over the weekend.
Now, if you were sorely missing commentary from Rogan on the whole situation, great news. He posted a nearly 10-minute-long video to his Instagram, explaining that, you know, he just wants to talk to people!
“I’m not trying to promote misinformation, I’m not trying to be controversial,” Rogan said. “I’ve never tried to do anything with this podcast other than just talk to people and have interesting conversations.” On the subject of the heavily-criticised guests he's had on The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcaster added, "I do not know if they're right. I don't know because I'm not a doctor, I'm not a scientist. I'm just a person who sits down and talks to people and has conversations with them."
Here's the closest we get to an apology: "My pledge to you is that I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives, so that we can maybe find a better point of view." Great idea. Maybe he can start by calling up one of the 270 physicians and scientists who wrote an open letter to Spotify decrying the podcast's "misleading and false claims." Regardless, Rogan's self-labelling as "a person who sits down and talks to people and has conversations with them" is grossly understating his role in spreading misinformation about the pandemic, considering that, when a medical doctor once refuted a medical doctor's warning against youth mortality rates, he said, "That is not what I've read before."
On Spotify's side of this mess, the C.E.O. of the company, Daniel Ek, wrote a public letter about its approach to the pandemic, published on Sunday night. “We know we have a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with the safety of our users," Ek wrote. "In that role, it is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.” Ek added that the service will add a content advisory notice to all podcast episodes that discuss Covid-19, directing users to a landing page with facts and information about the virus. Accountability! A lost art nowadays, apparently.
