Spotify To Put Advisory On Podcasts Tackling COVID

Spotify Technology SA will add a "content advisory" to any podcast episode that includes discussion about COVID-19, Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek said, after coming under fire from rock and folk legends for giving voice to misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

Photo Insert: Even Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have expressed their concern to Spotify about COVID-19 misinformation on its platform.

"This new effort to combat misinformation will roll out to countries around the world in the coming days," Ek wrote in a blog post published Sunday. "To our knowledge, this content advisory is the first of its kind by a major podcast platform," Helen Coster reported for Reuters.

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan also expressed their concern to Spotify about COVID-19 misinformation on its platform and are committed to continuing to work with the company, a spokesperson for their Archewell foundation said on Sunday.

The advisory will direct listeners to a COVID-19 hub that contains facts and information from medical and health experts, as well as links to trusted sources.

The move comes after singer-songwriters Neil Young and Joni Mitchell announced they are removing their music from Spotify in protest that the popular streaming service has allowed the airing of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. Young objected to his music being played on the same platform as Joe Rogan's top-rated podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience."

A prominent vaccine skeptic, Rogan has stirred controversy with his views on the pandemic, government mandates, and vaccines to control the spread of the coronavirus. In a tweet on Saturday best-selling author Brene Brown -- host of the Spotify-exclusive podcasts "Unlocking Us" and "Dare to Lead" -- said she would "not be releasing any podcasts until further notice."

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