This is the same defense Jon Stewart always used. "It's a comedy show". I'm not sure whether you're a credible news source absolves you of responsibility of spreading harmful misinformation. He has a huge platform and a huge voice. What he does isn't illegal but it's definitely not the most moral behavior.
The difference is that the Daily Show looked and acted like a traditional news show, which of course, was part of the parody. No one has ever confused the JRE for that.
You must be listening to a completely different JRE. He pretends to speak as an authority on all subjects, occasionally to the point of shouting down guests and not even letting them finish a thought -- usually because Rogan just thought of a good jab and needs to get it in before the guest can finish making their correct point. Made worse that a substantial portion of Rogan's fan base is quite rabid and are well known for harassing guests (sometimes for months after an appearance) simply because Joe disagreed with them.
It's egregiously ignorant to proclaim that his comments aren't taken seriously or don't have real life consequences. You don't get to dole out medical advice as a self-proclaimed expert and then hide behind "it's just entertainment, bro."
I listen to most JRE episodes (I skip the ones where he has his MMA buddies on because I'm not interested) - I don't think I've ever heard him shout anyone down?
Also I've never heard him speak as an authority on anything other than stand-up comedy and MMA. Everything else I hear him ask his guests to clarify, like his recent episode with some skeevy psychologist/tech guy (Dr. Robert Epstein) who wasn't elaborating on dubious claims. At some point the guest was talking about Google "blocking the internet" and said condescendingly "Are you serious? You don't know this?" (my paraphrasing).
Joe just calmly responded with something along the lines of "Even if I do know this, my audience may not, so when I push back on you to elaborate or give more details or proof of a claim, it's not for me specifically". And yea, the guest was just a BS-er talking about big tech censorship, no Google can't block the internet, his claim ended up being about Google search and Chrome specifically.
What! JRE shows are around 2 hours long. Guests have plenty of time to talk even if interrupted. I have seen no other show that provides such an opportunity for guests to finish a thought.
But they do. People defended the show by saying he’ll listen to anyone. The products he endorses and people he has on enjoy gigantic boosts in popularity. Literally nobody is saying, “oh it’s just some dumb show”. A lot of men look to Joe Rogan for guidance. If you don’t see it, you’re not paying attention imo. I used to look to the show for dumb fun, sure, but also to expose me to information about working out, cool activities, cool people to follow like Cameron Hanes and David Goggins, lots of stuff.
If they're similarly guilty of misinformation, those responsible in the media should absolutely face consequences as well. This feels like whataboutism, which doesn't preclude people taking a stand against the JRE podcast.
