Podcaster Joe Rogan posted a video to Instagram late Sunday night to apologize and announce he will try to 'balance things out...
Podcaster Joe Rogan posted a video to Instagram late Sunday night to apologize and announce he will try to 'balance things out' amid criticism over Covid-related episodes that prompted artists to remove their hit songs from Spotify.
He spoke hours after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were in touch with Spotify to express their concerns the outlet could be spreading 'pandemic-related misinformation'.
Rogan, 54, was also responding to earlier accusations from musician Neil Young who claimed his podcasts were spreading 'Covid misinformation'. Rogan said he was only seeking to have conversations with people who have 'differing opinions.'
The controversy comes after recent episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast featured a highly regarded cardiologist and expert virologist, both of whom were critical of the way in which the pandemic has been handled in the US.
Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removed their music from the streaming giant to protest over its spread of what Young described as 'deadly misinformation about Covid'.
Rogan said: 'It's a strange responsibility to have this many viewers and listeners. It's nothing that I've prepared for. I'm going to do my best to balance things out.
'I'm just a person who sits down and talks to people and has conversations with them. I'm interested in telling the truth and finding out what the truth is.
'I'm very sorry that [Neil Young and Joni Mitchell] feel that way. I most certainly don't want that.'
Spotify meanwhile said it plans to add an advisory content warning to any episodes concerning Covid.
The Joe Rogan Experience is Spotify's highest-rated show, with each episode bringing over 10 million listeners.
Spotify’s market value dropped more than $2 billion in the days following Young's announcement, with shares have tumbling by around 12 per cent.
Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek (pictured) says the streaming giant is making changes in response to the criticism it has faced in recent weeks aimed at star podcaster Joe Rogan
The Joe Rogan Experience is Spotify's highest-rated show, with each episode bringing over 10 million listeners
Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek yesterday laid out plans to introduce more transparent platform rules following Young's statement.
But Ek also stressed the importance of free speech and providing a platform which shares differing ideas.
'Personally, there are plenty of individuals and views on Spotify that I disagree with strongly,' wrote Ek.
'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 said that the advisories will link to Spotify's fact-based Covid-19 hub in what he described as a 'new effort to combat misinformation.'
Rogan then released a video on Instagram on Sunday evening, expressing his take on the controversy.
'I'm not trying to promote misinformation, I'm not trying to be controversial,' Rogan said, before pointing out that many facts about Covid which are now widely accepted would have been seen as misinformation just months ago.
Rogan argued that vaccinated people can still carry and spread Covid - something which in the earlier days of the pandemic was widely thought not to be true.
He also said that he schedules the guests on his podcast himself, and that he would try to book doctors with different opinions right after he talks to 'the controversial ones.'
'I've never tried to do anything with this podcast other than to just talk to people,' he said.
Much of the controversy came off the back of two recent episodes of the podcast with American cardiologist Dr Peter McCullough and American virologist and immunologist Dr Robert Malone.
Both individuals, who are reputable experts in their fields, expressed views that were contrary to much of the Covid information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and mainstream media outlets.
Although Rogan promised to bring on a more varied and balanced range of guests, he also noted his podcast had hosted Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the chief medical correspondent for CNN, Dr. Michael Osterholm, who is a member of President Joe Biden's Covid-19 advisory board, and Dr. Peter Hotez from Baylor College of Medicine.
Rogan welcomed the idea of adding advisories before podcasts related to Covid-19, before thanking Spotify for its support.
Spotify acquired The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in 2020, reportedly for more than 100 million dollars (£77million).
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