Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo on Monday glossed over the spread of misinformation on Joe Rogan’s Spotify podcast, instead criticizing what he perceived as an overreaction to it by those in media.
“You would have thought Rogan regularly features war criminals on his podcast from the media reaction,” Arroyo told Laura Ingraham, while her Fox News program displayed a chyron that labeled criticism of Rogan as a “witch hunt.”
On an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience in December, virologist Robert Malone, who was kicked off Twitter for posting COVID-19 misinformation, promoted conspiracy theories such as claiming the reason why so many doctors are encouraging people to take vaccines is because of “mass formation psychosis.” Soon after, Spotify faced pressure from a group of nearly 300 doctors, educators, and scientists to adopt a misinformation policy. Last week, musicians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulled their music from the platform.
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Arroyo then reacted to a news clip of The View co-host Joy Behar saying that more artists should threaten to do the same.
“So Behar is actually urging artists, Laura, to help her censor unpopular views,” Arroyo said, choosing to describe unscientific, unfactual comments as merely lacking popularity.
“If the CDC had been so right on masks or vaccine efficacy, then you might be able to argue that they have a case. But when the experts were so very wrong, we need more information, and that’s what Rogan and this show have been doing for years. I don’t know what the danger is there.”
Rogan’s podcast, which began in 2009, isn’t going anywhere, although Spotify announced Sunday that warning labels will now accompany podcast episodes that address the virus that has killed nearly 900,000 Americans. The comedian and UFC announcer said Monday that this was fine by him. He also acknowledged that he could do better at interviewing “more experts with differing opinions right after I have the controversial ones.”
But this baby step in the right direction, according to Arroyo, amounts to needlessly caving in to pressure.
“I’m not sure I like him being so accepting of these warning labels,” he said. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Joe!”
Ingraham, too, said she was taken aback by how Rogan has responded to the controversy.
