InfoWars' Operations Now Under The Control of The Onion Following Successful Bid
InfoWars' Operations Now Under The Control of The Onion Following Successful Bid
Something unbelievably amusing just transpired. The Onion, the renowned satirical news outlet that originated as a print publication in the '80s, emerged victorious in a bankruptcy auction, securing ownership of Infowars, the right-wing, conspiracy-driven website established in '99 by Alex Jones.
Infowars momentarily went dark post-auction on Thursday, but Jones assures his audience that he won't be disappearing anytime soon. He plans to broadcast live on X and is also promoting a fresh platform for his self-titled show.
As Jones put it during a livestream on X, "They could literally shut us down in a blink of an eye. But we've thought ahead. There's an emergency studio in the Alex Jones network. They might believe we've been defeated, but we aren't. We'll be back to our roots soon." It's likely that Jones will resume broadcasting from his home, as that's where it all started. Notably, the studio and equipment were included in the auction.
For years, Jones propagated fake accusations that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a fabrication and the victims' families were hired crisis actors intent on dismantling Second Amendment rights. This misinformation led to persistent harassment of the families. After bringing legal action against Jones for defamation in both Connecticut and Texas, the courts penalized him with a staggering $1.4 billion in damages. His media empire subsequently had to go into liquidation. Jones has since conceded that the shooting was not a hoax.
Despite few advertisers willing to associate with Infowars, it managed to earn tens of millions annually through supplement sales such as "Brain Force Ultra" and "Survival Shield X-2." Bankruptcy court filings revealed that Jones had more than $10 million in personal assets. Although forced to sell many assets, Texas law allowed Jones to keep his $2 million Austin home. Last year, he faced criticism for spending up to $100,000 a month' on personal expenses during bankruptcy proceedings.
Given his popularity and reinstatement by Elon Musk on X, Jones should encounter minimal difficulty moving forward. However, he'll still be responsible for covering the court-ordered judgments.
Jones had hoped that supporters would opt to purchase Infowars and enable him to continue his daily broadcast. Regrettably, this didn't transpire. The exact sum The Onion paid for Infowars remains unknown, considering Jones' significant influence on the brand's success. The Onion itself was recently aquired by Jeff Lawson, the billionaire founder of Twilio, who appointed former NBC News reporter Ben Collins as CEO. Previously owned by G/O Media, Gizmodo was part of the conglomerate until this summer.
Following the acquisition, The Onion has resumed producing its signature humorous videos, an indication of Lawson's willingness to invest heavily in the business.
According to a press release, The Onion's objective in acquiring Infowars is to terminate its deluge of misinformation leveraged for profit and replace it with the Onion's own humor-driven content. The press release reads, "The Onion's goal with the acquisition is to put an end to Infowars’ relentless barrage of disinformation for the sake of selling supplements and replace it with The Onion’s relentless barrage of humor for good."
Infowars might be challenging to satirise. The Onion collaborated with Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit established after the Sandy Hook shooting to advocate for gun control, in the acquisition. The press release announced a multi-year advertising agreement with Everytown, stating they will be the exclusive advertiser during the relaunch period. Families in Connecticut agreed to forgo part of their compensation to support the acquisition.
In the words of Chris Mattei, attorney for the Connecticut plaintiffs and a partner at Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, "From day one, these families have fought against tremendous odds to bring accountability to Alex Jones and his corrupt enterprise. Our clients understood that true accountability meant dismantling Infowars and eliminating Jones' capacity to spread lies on a large scale. After enduring unimaginable loss with courage and integrity, they rejected Jones' offers of extra payment if they would only allow him to stay on air, as it would have put other families at risk."
In Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion's, words, "We hope the Sandy Hook families will find amusement in the absurdity we plan to create with Infowars." Jones' extreme and exaggerated claims have long inspired mockery and his show clips are frequently turned into memes. It remains to be seen how The Onion could potentially outdo the absurdity they've already conjured. Regardless, it should offer some measure of closure to the families impacted by Jones' years of hostility.
The acquisition of Infowars by The Onion signifies a significant shift in the future of tech-driven media. With The Onion's proven ability to satirize, they aim to replace Infowars' misinformation with their own humor-driven content, leveraging technology to disseminate their content effectively.
Given Alex Jones' history of spreading false information, particularly regarding the Sandy Hook shooting, his future in the tech sphere might involve a shift from generating profits through misinformation to facing legal obligations for court-ordered judgments.