Back Story Newsletter
Good morning,
Spotify And Vaccines
Spotify now has announced it will add a content advisory on podcasts containing info on Covid and vaccines after a huge controversy about Joe Rogan podcasts and repeated allegations of spreading false information.
Spotify spent more than 100 million dollars to get Joe Rogan podcasts on their platform, so you can imagine the quandary they find themselves in over Rogan’s anti vaccine broadcasts, which most recently featured a guest against vaccines for children.
That stirred 200 doctors, scientists and health care professionals to call on Spotify to to halt the spread of false information about covid and the efficacy and safety of vaccines.
“Throughout the Covid pandemic, Joe Rogan has repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast, provoking distrust in science and medicine,” wrote the experts from the US, Canada, Britain and Australia.
“He has discouraged vaccination in young people and children, incorrectly claimed that mRNA vaccines are ‘gene therapy’, promoted off-label use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 (contrary to FDA warnings), and spread a number of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.”
Rogan receives at least 11 million listens per podcast, and has capitalized on the mistrust of vaccines to builder a bigger audience, some would say despite the effects that may have on peoples health including last Decembers interview with well known vaccine skeptic, Dr. Robert Malone, who is widely accused of promoting baseless theories about COVID vaccines.
Several musicians including Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren decided to remove their music from Spotify due to COVID-19 misinformation appearing on the platform.
Spotify announced Sunday their Covid info advisory on any podcast on vaccines, will include links from the Centres for disease control on vaccines, as well as main stream news reports from TV networks on vaccines safety to balance out the wide misinformation on vaccines spread online.
Having said that my latest podcast on Covid and vaccines didn’t include any of that on Spotify.
And yes, I think vaccines are safe and if you are looking for misinformation on vaccines here, you won’t find it. I have had the vaccines for everyone in my immediate family, and know many people who have survived Covid only because they had the vaccines and booster shots. My podcast Back Story with Dana Lewis has featured many experts on the safety of the vaccines.
The latest Covid podcast on what comes next is here;
Canada Truckers
For a second day Sunday tens of thousands of protesters across Canada were in Ottawa, the Capital, demanding less Covid restrictions calling themselves ‘Freedom Convoy’ and vowing to stay for days to come paralyzing the City.
There will be much heavier security today around national monuments and particularly the National War Memorial after images of protestors dancing, drinking and even urinating on the memorial outraged Canadians.
The protest originated last week in western Canada, where dozens of truckers organized a convoy to drive from Vancouver to the Canadian capital to demonstrate against Covid-related restrictions. They want all restrictions from vaccine mandates, to restrictions on schools and businesses removed, no matter what the health risks may be.
The Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was moved from his residence in Ottawa this weekend for security reasons.
Convoy organizer and controversial right wing figure Patrick King says truckers will not be leaving Ottawa this weekend and are planning on staying until all COVID-19 public health measures are eliminated and the Liberal Party (Trudeau’s party) is “resigned, gone and abolished.”
“We’re going to stay as long as it takes,” King said during an interview in a downtown Ottawa hotel. “We’re not going anywhere, and there are more coming,” King said.
King is reportedly a right-wing figure and former member of the yellow vest movement who has echoed racist conspiracy theories, such as the notion of “white genocide” theory made popular by white nationalists.
The Ottawa police and RCMP will try to navigate a peaceful break up of the protest today, but it seems inevitable some arrests will be made to remove the hardcore protesters who refuse to leave.
Was the convoy under reported? It received full coverage on the main Canadian networks and was front page news over the weekend. So suggestions it was hidden by media are ridiculous, but over reporting anti vaccine protests is also a major problem for media. The vaccines save lives. So did the cross border travel restrictions which closed off Canada from the much larger Covid wave in America.
I don’t get my health advice from truckers and those who rally behind them, but they have every right to protest.
Russia Omicron
Russia reported more than 100 thousand daily cases of Covid this weekend, as less than 50% of the population has signed up to Russian vaccines which have not been approved for use worldwide.
That’s double the number of cases from a week ago. The official death toll in Russia stands at 330,111 deaths from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic — the highest death toll in Europe. But deaths may in fact be twice that number say independent organizations.
Russia and Ukraine
The talks with Russia continue with World leaders including Britains P.M. who will talk with Russian leader Putin, are to continue this week, to avert war with Ukraine.
Ukrainian leaders have talked down the possibility of conflict while the Pentagon has said conflict seems more than likely. Who’s right? It’s a guessing game and Russia is using the threat of its war games and forces massed on Ukraines border to draw the U.S. into talks on arms control and NATO deployments.
Note: The U.S. and NATO Countries have unspecified intelligence which lead them to believe war is more likely than Ukrainian leaders, who to some extent are down playing the Russian invasion threat.
The U.S. has said NATO memberships are non negotiable, but the White House seems prepared to discuss troop movements, and intermediate range missile deployments in Europe to refuse tensions with Russia.
Russia continues to be warned that massive sanctions and cancellation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany will kick in if any Russian troops reinvade Ukraine.
Meantime Russia is reaping the economic rewards of record high oil prices, because of the crisis it’s created on its border.
Other News…
-Kurdish-led forces regained control of a prison in Northeastern Syria in the most intense urban combat involving American soldiers in Iraq or Syria since the self-declared ISIS caliphate fell in 2019. The prison houses more than 3000 captured ISIS
-North Korea carried out what appeared to be its boldest ballistic missile test in years and confirmed it test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the US territory of Guam
-A new ‘Stealth Omicron’ variant is spreading, BA.2 represents roughly 82% of cases in Denmark, 9% in the UK and 8% in the US
Thats a very big Monday morning basket of news for you! I have to get kids to school. So please share this newsletter, and subscribe to it if you haven’t already. And we greatly appreciate paid subscriptions to support this work.
Have a good week.
Dana
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/01/29/russia-sees-over-100000-daily-covid-19-cases-for-first-time-a76196
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/covid-19-freedom-convoy-2022-news-2
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/spotify-covid-19-content-advisory-podcast-episodes-1235084135/?_escaped_fragment_=