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