CNN anchor admits she's 'officially out of ideas' for 'what to do about Joe Rogan'

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It appears CNN is losing steam in its criticism toward podcast giant Joe Rogan. 

Over the past several weeks, a movement to deplatform Rogan off of Spotify intensified as veteran musicians like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulled their music from the streaming service in protest of the COVID "misinformation" that critics say Rogan has perpetuated. But as Spotify maintained its support for Rogan, the attacks shifted to offensive comments and his past use of the N-word. 

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However, the tech company said it will stand by Rogan. 

Comedian Joe Rogan responded to criticism over past racist comments. (Photo by: Vivian Zink/Syfy/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

"Well, I'll admit, I'm out of ideas for what to do about Joe Rogan," CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota said on Wednesday. "I'm officially out of ideas."

"I’m confused by both ‘it’s always been out there, but this is a political hit job.' 'It feels good that it's out, but then also I really need to address this,'" co-anchor Victor Blackwell said, summarizing Rogan's remarks about the controversies. "I mean, it seems like there are at least three different narratives that are coming here."

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"Listen, I think that he's saying out loud things that we want people who are caught doing horrible things to say, which is, 'I'm going to do better, I feel ashamed of this, I'm sorry about this.' And so I think that all of that is great," Camerota said. "I think that where there's the misalignment is that, basically he just said, 'How dumb are you if you're taking medical advice from me,' okay? I posed that same question about Joe Rogan. The people who were taking medical advice from him, how dumb are they? But he has this huge platform that does influence, you know, millions of people. So there's a misalignment between this sort of personal responsibility and the size of his platform."

Blackwell stressed that Rogan's COVID content is a "separate conversation" from his use of the N-word. 

"And we'll see if there's accountability, not cancellation, which some people conflate, accountability," Blackwell added. 

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Rogan offered an apologetic message responding to the "misinformation" accusations, vowing to invite guests to balance claims made on his podcast. He addressed the compilation video of his language, which he apologized for.

Joe Rogan. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images  |  REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo/File Photo)

Last week, CNN weekend anchor Jim Acosta and media correspondent Brian Stelter appeared to be rooting for Rogan's termination from Spotify. 

"You and I both know that compilation right there, which he has admitted to … that would be enough to put anybody out of a job," Acosta said. "I mean, to me, it seems untenable to have that kind of video surface, that kind of compilation surface and keep one's job … Joe Rogan can continue to host his podcast if people want to listen to it, they can, but it doesn't have to be on Spotify."

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"Companies like Spotify, Facebook, Twitter, they present themselves just as platforms, neutral platforms. But actually, Spotify, in this case is a media company getting in business to distribute Rogan. They don't have to be in that business," Stelter said. "I want to recognize there are reasons why Rogan has lots of fans, millions of fans. People want to hear his candid conversations, but there's a difference between that, between candid, in-depth conversations, and the kind of vile that's in this compilation".