Introduction
All the way back in September 2021, I wrote about the mainstream media's weird obsession over discrediting ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug that also happened to have anti-viral properties against SARS-COV-2 (science about it here). One of the topics I discussed was how the mainstream media went absolutely crazy over an Instagram video Joe Rogan published. In it, he revealed he caught the virus and took a variety of treatments, including ivermectin, to mitigate the symptoms.
In response, a lot of mainstream media outlets derided him for taking "horse dewormer". Some, like the Rolling Stone, called him an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist despite the fact that he was planning to get vaccinated prior to infection. Others such as The Independent and CNN replayed his Instagram video with a filter that made his complexion look worse than it actually was (and apparently, those videos are still up to this day).
About a month and a half later, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta went on Rogan's show where the latter challenged the former on the network's reporting. Rogan iterated that he took the human version of ivermectin as opposed to the "horse dewormer" version, and he also called CNN out on playing his Instagram video with a filter. Despite dancing around the subjects, Dr. Gupta said, "[CNN] shouldn't have said that", effectively admitting the network's error.
Since then, things became relatively quiet. But recently, the mainstream media put Rogan under their crosshairs again. Not only that, but notable figures from international organizations like the WHO and the US government are getting involved, too. What did he do this time? He had Dr. Peter McCullough and Dr. Robert Malone on his show. Dr. McCullough is a cardiologist who has expressed concern over the COVID vaccines' safety, particularly with boys and young men. Dr. Malone owns multiple patents for the mRNA vaccine technology and has also expressed skepticism over the vaccines. He got permanently suspended from Twitter for posting this video from the Canadian COVID Care Alliance.
The Interviews
On Rogan's show, Dr. McCullough expressed concern over the myocarditis and pericarditis side-effects from the vaccines (more on the science here). He noted how the side-effects disproportionally affected males more than females (a more in depth article about it here). On top of that, from his experience of treating patients suffering from myocarditis, he emphasized that patients should not do any physical activity or otherwise, it would exacerbate the symptoms. He pointed towards the incidents where soccer or rugby players would suddenly collapse on the field as an example. The cardiologist also had an inkling that the lack of alternative treatment options for SARS-COV-2 was deliberate.
From 0:10 to 1:49. Full interview here.
Dr. Malone's interview with Rogan was less clinical and was more oriented towards conflicting interests and political corruption. He talked about how he got deplatformed from LinkedIn because he pointed out conflicting interests between the authors of the 2020 Pfizer vaccine's efficacy rate report and the corporation (Substack article). He eventually got reinstated before he was booted against because Microsoft 'fact-checker' concluded that he was an 'anti-vaxxer'.
Like Dr. McCullough, Dr. Malone also talked about how the resistance against non-vaccine treatments for SARS-COV-2. He claimed that the pharmaceutical industry in concordance with the government placed a lot of unnecessary boundaries for drugs such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. He also claimed there were modeling studies that concluded that the blockade of these drugs for early treatment contributed to an excess of 500 million deaths in the US.
The Elites Lash Out
Just like back in September after Rogan caught and recovered from COVID, the mainstream media admonished him for spreading medical 'misinformation'. However, things got pretty crazy from musician Neil Young demanded Spotify to pull off his music from the service in protest to which the platform obliged.
Young's protest drew a lot of attention from notable figures including WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Meghan Markle & Prince Harry, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and Biden White House. Tedros Gehbreyesus celebrated Young's opposition for standing up against 'misinformation' and 'inaccuracies'. Markle and Harry demanded Spotify to make changes to handle 'misinformation'. Meanwhile, Surgeon General Murthy and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki alluded to getting Spotify (and other platforms) to limit the spread of 'misinformation' while uplifting 'accurate information'.
In response, Spotify decided to place a disclaimer on all content involving discussion about COVID-19:
We are working to add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19. This advisory will direct listeners to our dedicated COVID-19 Hub, a resource that provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources. This new effort to combat misinformation will roll out to countries around the world in the coming days. To our knowledge, this content advisory is the first of its kind by a major podcast platform.
Reactions towards Spotify's measure varied. Some saw it as bending the knee to the mob; others believed it to be a reasonable compromise; and some thought Spotify was not doing enough like Jen Psaki above.
Joe Rogan Responds and My Thoughts
What makes the mainstream media and the elites terrified of Rogan is that he has incredible reach. His viewership dwarfs those of cable news channels like Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN. His show and brand were built from the ground up, not as a result of climbing up the corporate ladder like with most news anchors and hosts. As a result, Rogan gives a sense of genuineness and "down-to-Earth-ness" that effectively speaks to everyday people and something the corporate media cannot replicate. It also helps that he is not politically partisan. While the mainstream media would like to believe he's a right-winger, Rogan actually supported and endorsed Bernie Sanders.
A few days ago, Rogan uploaded a video to share his thoughts on the controversy. In it, he expressed that he was fine with Spotify putting a content disclaimer on anything regarding SARS-COV-2. However, he also expressed concerns on how 'misinformation' is defined and how the goalposts would frequently shift:
The problem I have with the term ‘misinformation,’ especially today, is that many of the things that we thought of as ‘misinformation’ just a short while ago are now accepted as fact. Like, for instance, eight months ago, if you said, ‘If you get vaccinated, you can still catch COVID and you could still spread COVID,’ you’d be removed from social media. They would ban you from certain platforms. Now, that’s accepted as fact.
If you said, ‘I don’t think cloth masks work,’ you would be banned from social media. Now, that’s openly and repeatedly stated on CNN. If you said, ‘I think it’s possible that COVID-19 came from a lab,’ you’d be banned from many social media platforms. Now, that’s on the cover of Newsweek.
I think Rogan makes a valid point. The lab leak hypothesis, for instance, used to be vehemently dismissed throughout 2020 and early 2021. But then, the mainstream media changed its tune in May 2021 and it suddenly became more acceptable (read more about it here). This arbitrary way of determining what is 'misinformation' and what is accurate information is not only too volatile, but also counterproductive. Statements and claims that may be true end up getting censored because they are not palatable to the mainstream narrative.
When the government and elites are calling for the end of 'misinformation', they are really calling for the end of dissent. This is particularly dangerous as the unholy marriage between private platforms and government will lead to a Big Brother-esque society (read more about social media platforms becoming state actors).
