Chairperson of the ABC Kim Williams explains why he is not a fan of US podcaster Joe Rogan during his National Press Club of Australia address.
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00:00I have a question about Joe Rogan, and you've sort of touched on elements of this in the US.
00:05He's obviously the world's most popular podcast host, he has three billion listeners,
00:09he's sort of managed to successfully capture that bro market in America,
00:14and his influence is such that in the wake of the US election, the Democrats have said that
00:19one of Kamala Harris's mistakes was that she didn't appear on his program. So I'm just wondering
00:25if you had any observations about what's behind the Joe Rogan effect,
00:29how you believe he's managed to so successfully capture this huge market,
00:33and then for us here in Australia, how would or should the ABC be going about
00:39capturing that kind of audience? Look, I'm not sure that I'm the right
00:45person to respond to that question. I am not a consumer or enthusiast about Mr Rogan and his
00:54work. I am not one of the three billion, and I'm unlikely to be three billion and one anytime soon.
01:06I think people like Mr Rogan prey on people's vulnerabilities, they prey on fear,
01:15they prey on anxiety, they prey on all of the elements that contribute to uncertainty in society,
01:25and they entrepreneur fantasy outcomes and conspiracy outcomes as being a normal part
01:36of social narrative. I personally find it deeply repulsive, and to think that someone has such
01:45remarkable power in the United States is something that I look at in disbelief.
01:54I'm also absolutely in dismay that this can be a source of public entertainment when it's really
02:03treating the public as plunder for purposes that are really quite malevolent.