After controversy over Joe Rogan’s podcast, Spotify introduced Monday a COVID-19 content advice tab for podcasts. This was a long-awaited feature that the company promised.
Spotify’s small blue tab directs users to the coronavirus information center. Spotify and Rogan were both criticized for misinformation about vaccines that was being spread via The Joe Rogan Experience.
Spotify COVID-19 hub links users to reliable sources such as the World Health Organization or the National Health Service of Britain.
Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, musicians, pulled their music from Spotify together with Brene Brown, author of Rogan’s COVID-19-related Podcasts.
Spotify has not made a statement about the tab, and Engadget stated that it doesn’t appear on all platforms. The tab was not available on Canadian services as of Monday, according to the company.
Spotify pulled 79 episodes from Rogan’s podcast between 2009 and 2018, just before the pandemic. Rogan was also criticized for using racial insults.
He was previously criticised for calling Fallon Fox, a transgender female MMA fighter, a “man”. The show featured guests such as Alex Jones, founder of Infowars, and Gavin McInnes from Proud Boys. McInnes used Rogan’s show in order to argue that Muslims are inbred.