Three faculty members from Penn State’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications will lead a panel this week to examine misinformation and its relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will specifically focus on “The Joe Rogan Experience”, which received backlash from experts for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 18 in the Foster Auditorium of the Paterno Library. Then, a faculty panel will explore the controversy through a discussion about ethics.

Matt Jordan, associate professor and Film Production and Media Studies department head, will talk about the rise of podcasts and the timeline of the trend beginning with Rush Limbaugh to Rogan. Patrick Plaisance, the Don W. Davis Professor of Ethics, will later discuss privileging opinion over facts. Telecommunications professor Patrick Parsons will moderate the event.

Rogan’s podcast received stark backlash for hosting a controversial doctor on an episode. Critics claim that he restated many false and misleading claims about COVID-19. Because of this controversy, musical artists including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell chose to boycott Spotify.

The event’s moderator will engage the two speakers in a discussion about “The Joe Rogan Experience” and the role of Spotify, its distributor, in the controversy. The event will close with an audience Q&A session.

Monday’s event is free and open to the public thanks to the Bellisario College Fellows.