大象传媒

A group of nearly 300 scientists, doctors and experts have written an open letter to Spotify to ask them to address Covid misinformation on the platform, focusing on an episode from one its most popular podcasts - The Joe Rogan Experience. The letter says Joe Rogan has promoted conspiracy theories and that by hosting podcasts with misinformation, Spotify is "is enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in scientific research".

The comedian now has an exclusive deal with Spotify, reported to be worth $100m and it was the most streamed podcast in the US last year. In the episode in question, Joe Rogan speaks to Dr Robert Malone, a virologist who compares the US to Nazi Germany, saying the US government has hypnotised the public over Covid guidelines.

Spotify doesn't have a misinformation policy, unlike other platforms such as YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. YouTube has removed some clips from that episode, and Twitter has removed Dr Malone's account for sharing anti-vaccine content. The 大象传媒's Emily Horler has more.

The title of this clip was changed from 'Joe Rogan: Scientists demand Spotify removes 'harmful' Covid misinformation' to 'Joe Rogan: Scientists call out Spotify for 'harmful' Covid misinformation', as the open letter did not request removal.

Photo: Joe Rogan performs at a stand-up in California, USA, in 2019 Credit: Getty Images

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