Is it okay to deceive people if you think your dishonesty will save lives? Are some lies virtuous? Risk Communication consultant Peter Sandman says public health officials routinely lie when they think it’s good for us. We talk about the ways public health officials lie, how they justify it, and which aspects of pandemic messaging are deliberately misleading. In the end, we agree that lies generally have bad long-term consequences.

“Follow the Science" is produced, written, and hosted by Faye Flam, with funding by the Society for Professional Journalists. Today’s episode was edited by Seth Gliksman with music by Kyle Imperatore. If you’d like to hear more "Follow the Science," please like, follow, and subscribe!