In a sign that the Joe Rogan controversy is only getting bigger, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has offered the White House’s view on Spotify’s recent move to put a disclaimer on any podcast that addresses COVID-19. During Tuesday’s daily brief presser, Psaki was asked about the “content advisory” and whether it will help curb the rampant spread of misinformation about vaccines and the pandemic in general that is routinely shared by Rogan and others. While Psaki praised the content warning, she made it clear that there is a lot more work to be done.
“This disclaimer, it’s a positive step, but we want every platform to be doing more to be calling out mis- and dis-information, while also uplifting accurate information,” Psaki said. “Ultimately, our view is that it is a positive step, but there is more that can be done.”
“Our hope is that all major tech platforms, and all major news sources for that matter, be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the American people have access to accurate information on something as significant as COVID-19,” Psaki added. “That certainly includes Spotify.”
As for Rogan, he’s since apologized for not having more experts with “differing opinions” on his podcast and admitted that he often “gets things wrong.” He also fully supports the content warning. However, hours after issuing his apology and promising to do better, he reportedly tweeted (then deleted) an article on ivermectin that had already been debunked by Reuters earlier that same day. Not a great start for the new and improved Joe Rogan.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)