Joe Rogan: The Joe Rogan Experience

Facts:

In 2022, Joe Rogan, host of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, hosted Dr. Malone, a virologist, to discuss vaccines and claims about the coronavirus. During the episode, Rogan and Malone entertained claims that equated the COVID-19 vaccine to Nazi medical experiments, claimed that President Biden was not vaccinated, and discussed inaccurate government data and guidelines surrounding the pandemic. Some of these claims accused the CDC of inaccurately determining deaths from COVID, associating COVID-19 vaccines with an increased risk of inflamed heart muscles, and claiming the vaccine was experimental and in violation of medical research ethics.

Issue:

The false claims made by Rogan and Malone show a reckless disregard for the truth which could damage the reputations and credibility of the organizations and people mentioned in the episode. Because the hosts did not fact-check the claims made throughout the episode or follow-up with any gray areas in their claims, this could pose a huge health risk to listeners who may believe the information being presented to them as fact. Thus, the lack of truth behind the claims against highly influential leaders, such as the president, and trusted health organizations, such as the CDC, pose an incredible public health risk and damage the trust between listeners and the institution built to protect them, and instead create a baseless trust between podcast hosts who failed to take ordinary care to present accurate information.

Significance:

Should the CDC, President Biden, or vaccine producers Pizer or Moderna see harm to their reputation or business in relation to this episode, both Rogan and Malone could be sued for libel. While no legal action was taken against the hosts following this episode, it’s important to note that their false claims are arguably not protected under the First Amendment. This highlights how questionable claims about a person or organization can build a case for legal action and cause extraordinary damage to the reputation and credibility of the podcast host themselves.

Sources:

Qiu, Linda. "Fact-Checking Joe Rogan’s Interview With Robert Malone That Caused an Uproar." New York Times, February, 8, 2022, Link.

Bond, Shannon. "What the Joe Rogan podcast controversy says about the online misinformation ecosystem." NPR, NPR, January, 21, 2022, Link.