In light of the ongoing controversy involving leftist backlash over Joe Rogan’s ability to hold intelligent and open-minded conversations with qualified scientists and experts, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told employees that Spotify does not have editorial control over Rogan’s podcast.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Ed said Spotify does not approve guests that are slated to be on Rogan’s podcast and can only react to podcasts after they air.
Central to this debate is leftist claims that Rogan is spreading misinformation. However, the article does not highlight what is constituted as misinformation. But, Spotify seems to be rejecting the idea of having editorial control over those who join their platform.
An excerpt from the article stated:
At the employee town hall, both Ek and chief content and advertising business officer Dawn Ostroff “repeatedly used the phrase ‘if we were a publisher,’ very strongly implying we are not a publisher, so we don’t have editorial responsibility” for Rogan’s show, said a second Spotify employee who listened to the remarks — and who, like some Spotify employees listening, found the executives’ position “a dubious assertion at best.”
In a chat linked to the town hall livestream, “A large portion of the angry comments were about how Spotify’s exclusive with Rogan means it’s more than just a regular platform,” said one employee.
During an earnings call, Ek seemed to align with creator’s creative control over their content.
Ek said, “We don’t change our policies based on one creator, nor do we change that based on any media cycle or calls from anyone else. Our policies have been carefully written with the input from numbers of internal and external experts in this space, and I do believe they’re right for our platform.”
However, Spotify announced on Sunday to publish a coronavirus information hub. This is seen as a response to leftist attacks against Spotify.
Ek wrote on Sunday, “We have had rules in place for many years but admittedly, we haven’t been transparent around the policies that guide our content more broadly. This, in turn, led to questions around their application to serious issues including COVID-19. Based on the feedback over the last several weeks, it’s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time. These issues are incredibly complex.”
