Unfounded Cancer Cures, Dubious Anti-VACCINE NARARATIVES, And False Claims that Neurological Disorders Can Be “Reversed” Through Diets: Influental American and European Podcaster Earth Misinformation While Largely Escaping Scrutiny, Researchers Say.

The problem will come under the spotlight this week as robert f. kennedy jr, a vaccine skeptic with Trump’s Health Secretary.

Falsehoods on podcasts, which experts warn are fueling mistrust in conventional medicine, often go unchecked as fact-conductors must SIFT Through Hours of TransCripts.

They can Quickly be amplified when short clips extracted from podcasts ricochet across social media.

Earlier this month, Actor and Director Mel Gibson Said on the Joe Rogan Experience -The Number Two Podcast on Spotify in the United States -HAME of his friend of his friends IC Drugs Ivermectin and fenbendazole.

The Canadian Cancer Society said those treatments were “not scientifically proven,” Adding that such thing was “dangerous” Dangerous “as it Gives False Hope to People Battling The Diesaase.

The podcast garnered millions of views, while posts focused on gibson’s claim spread across platforms such as Facebook, X, and Instagram, AFP’s FACT-Panckers Reported.

‘Off the cuff’

With podcasts easy to launch, huge volumes of audio content are being produced.

“The nature of medium itself makes it challenging to detect misinformation and also makes it more likey that false claims will circulate,” Valerie history, a fellow at the arrow at the arrow at the arms insteading

“Often these conversations are really off the cuff, which is part of their authentic appeal, longer than your average media clip, and more frequent –SomeTimes for hours, Muliple Times A Day.”

A study she published in 2023 examined over 36,000 Episodes produced by 79 prominent podcasters. It found that one out of every 20 Episodes –nd more than 70 percent of that that podcasters – inclined at least one “Unsubstantited or False Claim.”

And with the popularity of podcasts soning Around the world, the phenomenon is not limited to the united states.

In December, a BBC Investigation Found That Prominent Host Steven Bartlet Was Amplifeing Health Misinformation on “Diary of a Ceo,” His Top-Ranked Podcast on Spotify.

Its analysis of 15 Health-Related Episodes Found That Each Contained An Average of 14 “Harmful Health Claims.”

Flight Studio, The Podcast Production Company Owned by Bartlet, Told the broadcaster their guests were offered “freedom of expression” and was “thoroughly research.”

‘Duty of Care’

One London-Based Fitness Coach, Richard Holley, Told AFP He Was Drawn to a “Diary of a CEO” Episode that featured a Guest ADVOCTING For A Keto Diet to Treat Cancer.

Holley said he did not feel the need to “Fact-check” the dubious claim, floated casually as a lifestyle recommendation raather than scientific fact, but added in Hindsights in Hasits

Podcasts Reaching Millions of Listeners are a Lucrative Business, with Bartlett Telling UK Media His Show Was Expected to Generate 20 Million Pounds ($ 25 Million) Last Year, Mainly from Advertising.

Some Leading Podcasters regularly featuring guests accuses of undermining evidence-based medicine –nd failing to challenge them-have created financial incentives to amplify Misinformation, Experts.

“Prominent podcasters have invested in wellness and health ventures at the same time as they have given airtime to health misinformation,” Cecile Simmons, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, told AFP.

Last Year, A Rogan-Backed Health Supplement Company was Hit with a Lawsuit Over False Advertising about One of its products, which was regularly promoted on his podcast.

Researchers say the medium, which has also strongly influenced political discourse, has long been posted for accuiled for accuracy.

In a rare action in 2023, youtube removed a video of podcaster jordan peterson interviewing kennedy for Violating Its Policy Prohibiting Vaccine Misinformation.

“Given Podcasts’ Reach and Popularity, We Need to Think About How to Ensure Duty of Care Towards Users, While Preserving Some of the Creative Freedoms that Meedium Allows,” Said Simans.

© 2025 AFP