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Policy
JRE #1757 with Robert Malone; open letter and Spotify policy fallout
On a three-hour episode of the world's largest podcast, mRNA-vaccine researcher Robert Malone made contested claims about COVID-19 vaccines and described pandemic behavior as 'mass formation psychosis.' Roughly 270 scientists, physicians, and educators signed an open letter demanding Spotify adopt a misinformation policy; Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removed their music; Spotify CEO Daniel Ek published platform rules and added COVID-19 content advisories. Supporters call the episode mass-audience dissent met with a deplatforming pressure campaign; public-health critics identified specific false claims and argued platform responsibility for hosting discredited medical claims.