How Fox News is playing fast and loose with American lives, illustrated by one Dr. Oz clip - 2020-04-16

As President Donald Trump pushes for the relaxation of social distancing guidelines and the resumption of something resembling pre-coronavirus social and economic activity, his supporters on Fox News are reaching for talking points to justify this course of action. A recent appearance on Hannity by Dr. Mehmet Oz illustrated how this search has run into significant moral roadblocks.
Dr. Oz — who got his start years ago on Oprah and has lately become a ubiquitous presence on Fox News, making daily appearances in which he regularly promotes unproven, dangerous drugs — made a case on Tuesday that reopening schools is "a very appetizing opportunity," citing a study that he claimed showed doing so would only increase coronavirus deaths by 2 to 3 percent.
"Well, first, we need our mojo back. Let's start with things that are really critical to the nation where we think we might be able to open without getting into a lot of trouble," Dr. Oz said. "I tell you, schools are a very appetizing opportunity. I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing that the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3 percent, in terms of total mortality. And, you know, any life is a life lost, but to get every child back into a school where they're safely educated, being fed and making the most out of their lives, with a theoretical risk on the backside, it might be a trade-off some folks would consider."