AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) — The clash between singer Neil Young and streaming service Spotify has once again put the spotlight on the challenges doctors deal with when it comes to misinformation regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine.
Earlier this week, the rock legend released a letter before taking it down, challenging Spotify to choose between him or comedian Joe Rogan. Young threatened to pull his music from the streaming service if they didn't take down Rogan's podcast, which has peddled COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation throughout the pandemic.
Rogan's podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience" is wildly popular, topping Spotify's podcast charts with an 11.7 million subscribers on his YouTube channel that posts clips from episodes. During the pandemic, the comedian has been the target of criticism from doctors and scientists because he has constantly used his wide-reaching megaphone to share his skepticism of vaccines and to push disproven or unfounded conspiracy theories about the vaccines and virus.
Paul Seegert is the managing partner for PCS Advisers, which has firms specializing in both marketing and healthcare consulting. He said doctors already have to explain science that can be difficult to understand to people who may already be skeptical, and celebrities with such a large platform can hurt this messaging by spreading misinformation.
"I think doctors today and others in the healthcare space, what we need to do is give people the facts, and then tell them what we think based on those facts is the right thing to do," Seegert said. "It's tough. We have free speech, and they're allowed to have an opinion, so I think the best thing we can do - what we were talking about earlier - have truth in our messaging, give people the facts, and explain in a common sense way, 'Here's what we're recommending. Here's why. If it's changed, here's why it's changed,' because there has been an evolution to our understanding of this pandemic as we've gone through it."
Spotify sided with Rogan, who has a reported $100 million exclusive rights deal with the streamer, and has begun taking Young's music off its platform per his request.
On Wednesday, the singer posted a public letter on his website accusing the streamer of choosing money over health and safety.
"SPOTIFY has recently become a very damaging force via its public misinformation and lies about COVID," the letter said. "I sincerely hope that other artists and record companies will move off the SPOTIFY platform and stop supporting SPOTIFY's deadly misinformation about COVID."
This sequence of events comes just weeks after 270 doctors and scientists signed a public letter asking Spotify to update its policies on moderating misinformation on its platform.
The letter also took aim at Rogan's podcast, pointing to a specific episode in which the comedian interviewed a doctor who had been suspended from Twitter for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.
KEYE reached out to Spotify for a statement on the situation with Young, also asking if they are considering taking down episodes of Rogan's podcast that contain pandemic misinformation - specifically, the episode named in the doctors' letter. They have not responded as of time of publication.
Seegert said misinformation is not the only challenge for doctors trying to increase vaccination rates and other safety practices.
As time has passed during the pandemic, the science surrounding the virus and the legitimate messaging for it have evolved.
Because of these changes, Seegert said skeptics may point to the new messaging as proof the earlier messaging was not correct.
"We have a challenge overall and a lack of confidence in the messaging from the top-down around COVID because we've had so much change in the messaging that's coming out," Seegert said. "I think there's a lot of confusion is ultimately the bottom line. You have a lot of confusion on the part of the average person, and you have a lot of confusion even on the part of the doctors trying to get the right messaging to the people when it's changing frequently and conflicting."
Medical leaders will be tasked with continuing to push their message that vaccines are effective and safe.
"So long as it's based on good science, and we're sharing with people where it's coming from and why they need to do it, I think it will be effective," Seegert said. "We can have celebrities and others that may have opinions and large followings, and I still think we'll be able to get through this."