YouTube, Twitter Remove Joe Rogan's Interview with Virologist About COVID-19

Multiple social media platforms have removed podcaster Joe Rogan's recent interview with a U.S. virologist about COVID-19.

In the interview, Dr. Robert Malone compared the current U.S. attitude toward COVID-19 and vaccines to the "mass formation psychosis" seen in Germany during the rise of the Nazis. "Very intelligent, highly educated population, and they went barking mad. And how did that happen? The answer is mass formation psychosis," said Malone. "...their attention gets focused by a leader or series of events on one small point, just like hypnosis. They literally become hypnotized and can be led anywhere.” Malone had recently been suspended by Twitter for violating the platform's COVID-19 misinformation policy. YouTube said it removed the Rogan interview for violations of its Community Guidelines. After Twitter and YouTube removed the interview, Rogan announced that he was joining social media platform GETTR "in case sh*t over at Twitter gets even dumber." Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) personal Twitter account was also permanently suspended recently for COVID-19 misinformation violations.

Right-rated outlets covered the story more, often highlighting free speech concerns and Malone's role in creating mRNA vaccines. Most also framed the removal of the video by Twitter and YouTube in a negative light. Coverage across the spectrum focused on Rogan's move to GETTR. Reports from left- and center-rated outlets often framed GETTR as a platform for conservatives, and described Malone as controversial, "antivaxx," or a spreader of COVID-19 misinformation.