This isn’t something that is typically in our wheelhouse, but maybe it should be. That Park Place covers theme parks, movies, streaming, tourism, games, and more. It’s the streaming part that makes us interested in covering the news surrounding Joe Rogan. And while we’re typically engaged in shows that are streaming on platforms like Disney+, Netflix, Paramount+, and more… Joe Rogan’s podcast is the top streaming podcast in the world. It averages something like 11 million viewers/listeners per episode. For comparison, that’s more than most episodes of most shows on any of the major streaming services out there. Simply put, The Joe Rogan Experience is perhaps the most influential podcast in the world.
For that reason, we’re covering that Spotify has seemingly removed 70 episodes of the show, all of which were recorded prior to the pandemic. This comes as Spotify has agreed to put warning labels on any episodes that feature content regarding the pandemic virus. People of a particular medical and/or political viewpoint have been putting significant pressure on Spotify to dump Joe Rogan altogether. That’s not easy for the service to do, however, as they’re stuck with a $100 million contract with the comedian-conversationalist.
Spotify has deleted two of my @joerogan appearances pic.twitter.com/ZjKu8TUgcO
— Michael Malice (@michaelmalice) February 4, 2022
You may often read on That Park Place that we’re not a political website. We’re not a political website, and we don’t pull for any political party. We also often have to say that we’re not a medical website. We say that because we’re not, and we do not take any position on medical issues. We always recommend you consult with your own medical doctor. That said, there are a few positions that we do hold simply as a part of being a news website. Namely, we do support free speech, responsible coverage, we generally do not support censorship, and we believe in being truthful to the best of one’s ability. While removing episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience may be within the power of Spotify, we have to say that censorship except in very rare and grave situations is not ideal. We don’t know if the deleted episodes of the JRE show were favorable to liberals or conservatives (Joe Rogan endorsed Bernie Sanders last election). But it doesn’t matter… removing those episodes is wrong and dangerous.
There are many things happening around the world right now that cause concern. Censorship at the behest of the masses is one of those things. We should be very careful in how we make sure that people have access to various points of views and then come to conclusions as adults. The world will be a very dark place if we emulate the Chinese model of limiting what individuals have access to.
