New York Times writers Tiffany Hsu and Marc Tracy have taken issue with radio and podcast hosts using audio platforms to debate the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine, calling out iHeartMedia, Spotify, and Apple.
The article, “On Podcasts and Radio, Misleading COVID-19 Talk Goes Unchecked,” claims, “False statements about vaccines have spread on the ‘Wild West’ of media, even as some hosts die of virus complications.” The Times piece says the audio industry has not drawn the same scrutiny as large social media companies.
While it’s simple enough to turn a radio off or stop listening to a podcast, University of Maryland Professor of Media Jason Loviglio states in the article that, “There’s really no curb on it. There’s no real mechanism to push back, other than advertisers boycotting and corporate executives saying we need a culture change.”
Loviglio goes on to praise public radio. “We’re seeing lots of public radio stations doing amazing local work to spread good health information. On the other side, you’re seeing mostly the AM radio dial and their podcast counterparts being the Wild West of the airwaves.”
University of Florida media professor Sylvia Chan-Olmstead comments, “Podcasts may be more effective in spreading false information than social media. People who go to podcasts have much more active engagement. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I went on Facebook and I scrolled through and saw this misinformation.’ 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.”
The entire article is HERE behind a paywall.
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Let’s see, if you do not think or agree with my views, you must be censored and eradicated!
The new way of life!
So sad!
It is generally profitable to take the low road but it is both wrong and frequently immoral to do so.
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