NEW YORK — Joe Rogan is speaking out after some musicians pulled their music from Spotify amid criticism that his podcast promotes misinformation about COVID-19.
According to The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times, Rogan, 54, took to Instagram on Sunday to defend “The Joe Rogan Experience,” saying he never tried to spread misinformation about the virus and only sought “to create interesting conversations” with guests.
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“I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives, so we can maybe find a better point of view,” he said in a nearly 10-minute video, adding that he wants to showcase “all kinds of opinions” about the pandemic and other issues.
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Rogan’s remarks came after Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren removed their songs from the streaming service, which declined to remove episodes of the podcast, the AP reported. Hundreds of scientists and health experts also have asked Spotify to pull an episode featuring COVID-19 vaccine skeptic Dr. Robert Malone, according to the news agency.
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Earlier Sunday, Spotify announced it is adding “content advisory” warnings to coronavirus-related content, along with links to a COVID-19 Hub featuring “data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote in a blog post.
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“Based on the feedback over the last several weeks, 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,” Ek wrote. “These issues are incredibly complex. We’ve heard you – especially those from the medical and scientific communities.”
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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