Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have expressed their “concerns” to Spotify over Covid-19 misinformation on the platform, joining a growing group of personalities putting pressure on the streaming service amid a dispute about Joe Rogan’s controversial podcast.
The pair first raised the issue last April and have continued to urge Spotify to root out misinformation, a spokesperson for their foundation, Archewell, said on Sunday.
Their invention comes after Neil Young and Joni Mitchell both asked Spotify to pull their music from the platform, objecting to its popular “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast in which the host has made frequent false and inaccurate claims surrounding vaccines and Covid-19.
“Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform,” an Archewell spokesperson said in a statement. “We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis.”
“We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does,” the spokesperson added. The statement did not specifically mention Rogan’s show.
CNN has contacted Spotify for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
The Sussexes are among Spotify’s most notable audio personalities, having announced an exclusive partnership with the service in December 2020. In a news release, Spotify said the pair “will host and produce podcasts that build community through shared experience, narratives, and values.”The multi-year partnership with Spotify includes numerous programs, some hosted and others produced by the duke and duchess.
Their reach is dwarfed by Rogan’s popular show, which has long been a hit with listeners but has drawn scorn from the scientific community.
Earlier this month, a group of more than 250 scientists, doctors and nurses penned an open letter to Spotify condemning the streamer for platforming Rogan and calling on Spotify to warn its listeners about misinformation. The host has suggested that healthy young people should not necessarily be vaccinated against Covid-19, and a recent episode with Jordan Peterson was also mocked for airing misinformation about climate change.
“Since the inception of Archewell, we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis,” a spokesperson for the foundation said. “Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day.”
