Russian state-owned media outlet Sputnik erroneously reported Friday that controversial Canadian psychology professor Jordan Peterson was tapped to host this year’s Oscars, citing information from a Christian news satire site.
The Babylon Bee, a known satirical site, humorously reported that on Dec. 12, 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had decided to tap “popular psychologist, author, and professor Jordan Peterson to host” the Oscars. Sputnik reposted the “news” in a since-deleted article, failing to understand that it was a joke about Peterson, a right-wing celebrity who’s made controversial statements about abortion, transgenderism, sex education, and the gender pay gap. In the article, the outlet said the choice appears to be “motivated by [Peterson's] huge popularity” and cited fake quotes by both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science and Peterson himself.
