Spotify has announced this Sunday that it will take measures to combat misinformation about covid-19 after the controversy unleashed by musicians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, who withdrew their music from the platform for serving as a speaker for the podcast of a conspicuous denier and anti-vaccine, Joe Rogan. “We are working to incorporate a content notice to all episodes of a podcast that includes a debate on covid-19,” the company said in a statement collected by the Efe agency. It will also publish informative resources, based on contrasted data, “as well as links to reliable sources.”
The announcement comes hours after Prince William of England and his wife, Meghan Markle, publicly expressed their “concern” that the platform is fueling hoaxes and conspiracy theories of all kinds about the coronavirus, a spokesperson said on Sunday. of his foundation, Archewell. The couple signed an agreement with the service of streaming in 2020 and since last April he had been warning about the damage caused by the proliferation of falsehoods, urging Spotify to eradicate it.
Young left the platform this week in protest at the publication of a popular program, Joe Rogan Experience, whose head, a controversial comedian signed by Spotify in 2020 for 100 million dollars, has made frequent false comments about vaccines and covid-19. The musician raised the withdrawal of his works in terms of an ultimatum: either Spotify canceled the reproduction of the podcast, or he would withdraw a repertoire that spans 60 years. The musician maintained his challenge against the comedian, who has opened his podcast, the most listened to in the world, to unconfirmed theories or hoaxes about vaccines or covid-19. “Spotify has recently become a damaging force for its misinformation and lies about covid,” Young said in a statement published on Wednesday on his official page, in which at no time did he refer to Rogan or his program. .
Their example was followed a day later by another classic, Joni Mitchell, but they weren’t the only celebrities unhappy with the platform’s attitude. The criticism of the royal couple, who enjoys much more prestige in the US than in the UK, may have been the knock that has pushed Spotify to seriously consider the problem. Much more, probably, than the letter signed weeks ago by 270 American doctors and scientists who reproached Spotify for the damage that broadcasts like Rogan’s cause to the trust and knowledge of public opinion.
“Last April, our co-founders began raising concerns with our Spotify partners about the all-too-real consequences of misinformation about COVID-19 on their platform,” explains the marriage spokesperson in the statement published by the Archewell foundation. “We continue to express our concern to Spotify to ensure changes are made to their platform to help address this public health crisis.” The statement, in which Rogan is not cited – as Young and Mitchell did not -, concludes with a warning: “We hope that Spotify lives up to this moment and we are committed to continuing our work together.”
Shortly after the couple’s complaints became known, Spotify announced that it will take action against misinformation, similar to the warnings printed on packs about the damage that tobacco causes to health. The media profitability of William of England and Meghan Markle, which was revealed after their exclusive to the Oprah Winfrey program in which they accused the British royal house of racism, makes them an important asset that should be taken care of, hence the reaction of the platform has been almost immediate. Marriage is one of their main claims, and their collaboration plans include numerous programs. Reporting the signing of the agreement, in December 2020, Spotify announced that the couple, now dedicated to charitable programs through their foundation, “will host and produce podcasts that build a community through shared experiences, narratives and values.”
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