Joe Rogan has spoken up after Spotify took more actions in response to concerns about COVID-19 misinformation.
The podcast host commented on the music streaming service’s changing approach to COVID-19 misinformation, specifically Spotify’s handling of criticism involving Rogan’s hosting of experts spreading “misinformation” about the virus and vaccine. The company announced on Sunday that it would add content advisories to all episodes of Rogan’s podcast that dealt with COVID-19.
“I’m not trying to promote misinformation, I’m not trying to be controversial,” Rogan said on Instagram on Sunday. “I’ve never tried to do anything with this podcast other than to just talk to people.”
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Rogan admitted that he gets several things wrong. “I’m not a doctor, I’m not a scientist. I’m just a person who sits down and talks with people and has conversations with them. Do I get things wrong? Absolutely, I get things wrong. But I try to correct them.”
Rogan noted that he schedules all of 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 anti-vaccine advocates such as Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Peter McCullough, Rogan also pointed out that he had hosted CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, White House adviser Dr. Michael Osterholm, and Dr. Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine on the show in the past.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek released a post on Sunday going over its platform policy and its approach to COVID-19. “Based on the feedback over the last several weeks,” Ek wrote, “it’s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time.”
The post included a full release of the company’s content moderation policy and the addition of content advisories linking to the company’s COVID-19 Information Hub on future Joe Rogan Experience episodes regarding COVID-19.
Rogan said that he was OK with adding content advisories to his podcasts. “Sure, have that on there. I’m very happy with that.”
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Rogan’s hosting of individuals such as Malone and McCullough led some to request that Spotify drop its deal with Rogan. A group of 270 doctors released a letter on Jan. 12 requesting that Spotify stop Rogan from hosting COVID-19 misinformation spreaders.
Musician Neil Young had his music removed on Thursday after threatening to pull his catalog from the platform over Rogan. Young’s actions were followed by several artists threatening similar actions, including songwriter Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren, and fellow Spotify-exclusive podcaster Brene Brown.
