The White House weighed in on the Joe Rogan-Spotify controversy on Tuesday, calling on all “major tech platforms” to be “responsible and vigilant” about presenting accurate information about COVID-19.
Rogan has become a center of controversy after musician Neil Young called on Spotify to remove his podcast from its platform over his choice to interview anti-vaccine figures such as Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Peter McCullough. Spotify has since added a content advisory to Rogan’s popular podcast, but Biden administration press secretary Jen Psaki was asked if the company should have gone further.
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“Our hope is that all major tech platforms and all major news sources for that matter be responsible and vigilant to ensure the American people have access to accurate information on something as significant as COVID-19,” Psaki said. “That certainly includes Spotify.”
Rogan has noted he schedules all his guests and often tries to bring on a variety of doctors to get different perspectives. While many people would note Rogan’s decision to host figures such as Malone and McCullough, Rogan also pointed out he had previously hosted CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, White House adviser Dr. Michael Osterholm, and Dr. Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine.
Despite the controversy, Rogan remains broadly popular.
Psaki went on to say Spotify’s disclaimer is a “positive step.” However, the administration wants every platform to “continue doing more to call out mis- and disinformation while also uplifting accurate information.”
She noted that people are 16 times more likely to be hospitalized and 68 times more likely to die from COVID-19 if they are unvaccinated compared to someone who has received three shots.
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“That’s pretty significant, and we think that is something that unquestionably should be the basis of how people are communicating about it,” she said. “Ultimately, our view is that [the disclaimer] is a good step, it’s a positive step, but there’s more that can be done.”
