Apple, Spotify, and other companies that distribute podcasts have done little to rein in COVID-19 misinformation, escaping the scrutiny social media giants face
False statements about vaccines have spread on the “Wild West” of media, even as some hosts die of virus complications. Tweets: @carnage4life , @evan_greer , @derekwillis , @shanoorseervai , @peterhamby , @celinegounder , @marcatracy , @timobrien , @tiffkhsu , @technollama , @elijahschaffer , @ufjschool , @davewiner , @jeffjarvis , and @evelyndouek See also Mediagazer Tweets: Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life : Podcasts, chat apps, newsletters, etc. It turns out any platform you provide that allows people to broadcast to others is a channel for spreading lies and rumors (aka misinformation). The only true “fix” is to rewind time and uninvent the Internet. https://www.nytimes.com/... Evan Greer / @evan_greer : sadly, most of the “solutions” to this problem are way worse than the problem itself. do people really want deeply flawed AI to listen to every podcast and watch every video uploaded to the Internet, making determinations about what we shouldn't see/hear? https://twitter.com/... Derek Willis / @derekwillis : I liked this story when @jackgillum & I did it in March 2020: https://www.propublica.org/... https://twitter.com/... Shanoor Seervai / @shanoorseervai : As a podcast host who spends hours on research and carefully fact-checking every assertion my guests make, it is disturbing to see some hosts use their platforms to spread lies. We're still fighting a global pandemic that has killed over 5 million people. https://www.nytimes.com/... Peter Hamby / @peterhamby : This podcast stat - and the phrasing - in the NYT seems fishy. Anyone have this study? https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/... @celinegounder : 1/ As a podcaster myself ( https://epidemic.fm/ & https://americandiagnosis.fm/ ), I've been concerned since the start of the pandemic that podcasts & radio would be an important source of disinformation. https://www.nytimes.com/... Marc Tracy / @marcatracy : I helped @tiffkhsu look at the wild lightly regulated mostly unchecked world of radio, where some of the largest media platforms host people who say misleading and false things about Covid-19 https://www.nytimes.com/... Tim O'Brien / @timobrien : “As the global death toll related to Covid-19 exceeds five million — and at a time when more than 40% of Americans are not fully vaccinated — iHeart, Spotify, Apple and many smaller audio companies have done little to rein” podcasts loaded w/disinformation https://www.nytimes.com/... Tiffany Hsu / @tiffkhsu : Audio platforms attract charismatic hosts, millions of fans and, in the pandemic, a hefty serving of vaccine misinformation. While social media outlets now attempt to remove such content, major audio companies appear to take a light touch. W/ @marcatracy https://www.nytimes.com/... Andres Guadamuz / @technollama : There's such an emphasis on Facebook disinformation that people often forget the importance of other channels. Nowadays Joe Rogan is more influential in antivaxxer circles than anything on FB, and that's in tech darling Spotify. https://www.nytimes.com/... Elijah / @elijahschaffer : 5.2 million people die every year worldwide from heart disease The condition is mostly related to unhealthy lifestyles related to diet When will iHeart, Spotify, Apple and smaller audio companies stop taking ad money from fast food companies & fat podcast hosts? https://twitter.com/... @ufjschool : Professor @UFBranding is quoted in this @NYT story about podcast hosts and disinformation. Chan-Olmsted: “It's more likely that you're engaged, you're interested in this host, you actively seek this person out and listen to what he or she has to say.” https://twitter.com/... Dave Winer / @davewiner : I can't wait to read an article in the New York Times about how the New York Times spreads misinformation because they do. https://www.nytimes.com/... Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis : The Times discovers that there's a media disinformation ecosystem beyond social media. It has been there all along. At its center is Fox/Murdoch. On Podcasts and Radio, Misleading Covid-19 Talk Goes Unchecked https://www.nytimes.com/... Evelyn Douek / @evelyndouek : podcast content moderation reckoning watch https://www.nytimes.com/... See also Mediagazer