Hundreds Of Doctors Deem Joe Rogan 'Dangerous'
By Kristin Myers on January 14, 2022 at 2:20 PM EST
Host Joe Rogan might have just hit a tipping point.
Even though the former "Fear Factor" host has been accused of spreading COVID-19 misinformation throughout the pandemic, medical experts are calling on Spotify to step in and moderate misinformation.
Medical Experts Ask Spotify To Start Moderating COVID-19 Misinformation
More than 250 medical professionals have signed an open letter urging Spotify to stop the spread of COVID-19 misinformation, specifically calling out the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast. https://t.co/hlrtojZax8 pic.twitter.com/jmqo6XT2Bd
— WebMD (@WebMD) January 14, 2022
Almost three hundred doctors, healthcare workers, scientists, and professors, wrote an open letter to Spotify to combat the "false and societally harmful assertions" that Rogan has been making on his podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience."
The medical professionals are asking Spotify to “establish a clear and public policy to moderate misinformation on its platform.”
They point to Rogan’s history of "broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic" as a reason for Spotify to step in.
In particular, the letter calls out "a highly controversial episode featuring guest Dr. Robert Malone (#1757). The episode has been criticized for promoting baseless conspiracy theories."
As The Blast previously reported, Dr. Malone has been permanently banned from Twitter for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. On Rogan's show, he continued to promote his controversial views, and pushed an "unfounded theory that societal leaders have ‘hypnotized’ the public."
Who Is Dr. Robert Malone?
Dr Robert Malone on awakening. pic.twitter.com/2N2jjAmRJr
— TheNo1Waffler (@TheNo1Waffler) January 6, 2022
Although he is a medical professional, Dr. Robert Malone has broken ranks with the consensus of medical professionals in recent years.
Malone is actually credited with inventing mRNA technology, which has helped lead to the creation of vaccines. mRNA vaccines use messenger RNA to create an immune response in the body that helps boost the body’s natural defenses against a virus. Although Dr. Malone has helped many with his technology, the medical community has criticized his skeptical stance on the COVID-19 vaccine.
Malone often used his Twitter account to heavily criticize both the government and mainstream media. He found himself on the end of a Twitter ban only one day before he appeared on "The Joe Rogan Experience" last month.
🧬Robert Malone, inventeur de la technologie ARNm, met vivement en garde contre la vaccination des enfants : "En tant que parent et grand-parent, je vous recommande vivement de résister et de vous battre pour protéger vos enfants." @RWMaloneMD
L'article : https://t.co/wvi7K08sBq pic.twitter.com/cKRtg7OU1L— FranceSoir (@france_soir) December 16, 2021
The tweet that led to the ban read: “The Pfizer inoculations for COVID-19 – More Harm Than Good- VIDEO. Pfizer 6 month data shows that Pfizer’s COVID 19 inoculations cause more illness than they prevent. Plus, an overview of the Pfizer trial flaws in both design and execution.”
Malone also caused alarm when he encouraged parents not to vaccinate their children, saying, “The reason they are giving you to vaccinate your child is a lie. Your children represent no danger to their parents or grandparents. It’s actually the opposite, their immunity after getting Covid is critical to save their family if not the world from this disease.”
Medical Experts Ask Spotify To Take Action Against 'Mass Misinformation Events'
BREAKING: 270 prestigious doctors and scientists blast Joe Rogan in an open letter, demand that Spotify remove his podcast over his “concerning history of broadcasting misinformation, particularly related to the COVID pandemic.” RT IF YOU THINK THAT SPOTIFY MUST REMOVE JOE ROGAN!
— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) January 13, 2022
The letter adds that,"We are a coalition of scientists, medical professionals, professors, and science communicators spanning a wide range of fields such as microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, and neuroscience and we are calling on Spotify to take action against the mass-misinformation events which continue to occur on its platform."
"With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence," they continue. "Though Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, the company presently has no misinformation policy."
"These actions are not only objectionable and offensive, but also medically and culturally dangerous," the letter adds.
"Mass-misinformation events of this scale have extraordinarily dangerous ramifications," they add. "As scientists, we face backlash and resistance as the public grows to distrust our research and expertise."
"As educators and science communicators, we are tasked with repairing the public’s damaged understanding of science and medicine. As physicians, we bear the arduous weight of a pandemic that has stretched our medical systems to their limits and only stands to be exacerbated by the anti-vaccination sentiment woven into this and other episodes of Rogan’s podcast."
They conclude their message by saying, "This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform."