Dr. Oz claims the Philadelphia Inquirer is ‘canceling’ him — by adhering to its stylistic guidelines

In the past, Dr. Mehmet Oz — who is seeking the GOP nomination in Pennsylvania’s 2022 U.S. Senate race — described himself as a “moderate Republican” and cited President Teddy Roosevelt and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as political inspirations. But he is now plunging into buffoonish Fox News-like talking points and claiming that he is being “canceled” by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Oz’s proof of cancelation? The Inquirer, adhering to its stylistic guidelines, will only refer to him as “Mehmet Oz,” not as “Dr. Oz.”

During a Monday, December 13 appearance on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends,” host Steve Doocy told Oz, “They’re trying to cancel you. I saw your Twitter; that’s what you said.” And Oz responded, “People see it, you can’t look away. Why would the Inquirer want to get involved in this process? Why would they not want to call me Dr. Oz? Everyone knows I’m Dr. Oz. But they don’t think it’s the right thing to do. They think it gives me an unfair advantage.”

Oz also told Doocy, “The Inquirer hates — hates — that I’m empowering you, hates that I’m taking on some of the established folks. Hates that the entrepreneurial solutions that I’m offering might make sense…. So they want to silence me. And I’ll tell you, it is shocking that it would make them that uncomfortable this early in my campaign. But I think it’s reflective of the movement we represent.”

The Inquirer is not singling Oz out for discrimination, contrary to what he is claiming. Its stylistic guidelines read, “Do not use Dr. on first reference for anyone with the title, whether they are a medical doctor or have a doctorate in a nonmedical field, to avoid complaints of unequal treatment from individuals who worked hard to achieve doctorates in nonmedical fields.” This means that if Dr. Anthony Fauci or CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, for example, ran for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, they would be referred to as simply “Anthony Fauci” and “Sanjay Gupta.”

Oz is being brutally mocked on Twitter for being so thin-skinned. Here are some recent tweets in response to this “cancelation” claims: