Satirical Website The Onion Purchases Alex Jones' Infowars Brand in Bankruptcy Auction
General News
Thursday 14th, November 2024
In a unique twist following a high-profile bankruptcy auction, the satirical news site The Onion has reportedly purchased the conspiracy focused Infowars brand and website from its founder, Alex Jones. This acquisition marks a notable shift in the online media landscape as the new owners intend to replace Infowars’ established legacy of controversial content with what they call “noticeably less hateful disinformation”.
In an official statement, The Onion commented that it looks forward to continuing Infowars’ legacy, albeit with a satirical slant. “The Onion is proud to acquire Infowars, and we look forward to continuing its storied tradition of scaring the site’s users with lies until they fork over their cold, hard cash”, said The Onion’s CEO, Ben Collins.
Alex Jones, the controversial figure behind Infowars, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2022 after U.S. courts ordered him to pay €1.42 ($1.5) billion for defaming the families of 20 students and six staff members who were killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. In the defamation cases, Jones was found liable for intentionally spreading false claims that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a hoax orchestrated by the government to enforce stricter gun control laws.
Jones, unable to meet these massive legal debts, was forced to auction his assets as part of bankruptcy proceedings, with Infowars among the primary assets listed. The Onion’s bid was ultimately supported by the families of the victims, who endorsed the satirical site’s acquisition to prevent Infowars from continuing its operations under new ownership potentially aligned with similar ideologies to those of Jones.
In a statement, the families backing the auction’s outcome expressed relief that Infowars would undergo a radical transformation. Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was among those killed at Sandy Hook, stated, “The world needs to see that having a platform does not mean you are above accountability. The dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for”.
The families had agreed to forgo part of their awarded compensation to bolster The Onion’s bid, thereby preventing other right-wing figures from potentially acquiring Infowars and continuing its content production.
Everytown for Gun Safety, a prominent U.S. gun violence prevention organisation, is set to become the exclusive advertiser on the revamped Infowars. The group expressed support for The Onion’s plans, hoping that the site’s new direction would offer a satirical and more socially responsible approach.
Following the court-supervised auction, Infowars’ website was temporarily shut down, with The Onion announcing plans to relaunch the platform in January. The Onion will inherit Infowars’ intellectual property, including its website, customer database, select social media accounts, and production equipment. Financial specifics of the purchase remain undisclosed.
The second-highest bid in the auction reportedly came from First United American Companies, an entity with links to Alex Jones, as per court documents. However, The Onion’s bid prevailed, which many have taken as a symbolic end to Infowars’ original legacy.
Jones reacted to the sale on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, alleging political motives behind the decision. “They’re shutting us down”, he posted, vowing to continue his broadcasts on other platforms. “I’m going to be here until they come in here and turn the lights off”.
Though Infowars has now been sold, Alex Jones remains responsible for the majority of his court-ordered financial liabilities. A U.S. bankruptcy judge previously ruled that his defamation related debts could not be discharged through bankruptcy, leaving Jones personally accountable for the bulk of the €1.42 billion in judgements against him.
In an official statement, The Onion commented that it looks forward to continuing Infowars’ legacy, albeit with a satirical slant. “The Onion is proud to acquire Infowars, and we look forward to continuing its storied tradition of scaring the site’s users with lies until they fork over their cold, hard cash”, said The Onion’s CEO, Ben Collins.
Alex Jones, the controversial figure behind Infowars, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2022 after U.S. courts ordered him to pay €1.42 ($1.5) billion for defaming the families of 20 students and six staff members who were killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. In the defamation cases, Jones was found liable for intentionally spreading false claims that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a hoax orchestrated by the government to enforce stricter gun control laws.
Jones, unable to meet these massive legal debts, was forced to auction his assets as part of bankruptcy proceedings, with Infowars among the primary assets listed. The Onion’s bid was ultimately supported by the families of the victims, who endorsed the satirical site’s acquisition to prevent Infowars from continuing its operations under new ownership potentially aligned with similar ideologies to those of Jones.
In a statement, the families backing the auction’s outcome expressed relief that Infowars would undergo a radical transformation. Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was among those killed at Sandy Hook, stated, “The world needs to see that having a platform does not mean you are above accountability. The dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for”.
The families had agreed to forgo part of their awarded compensation to bolster The Onion’s bid, thereby preventing other right-wing figures from potentially acquiring Infowars and continuing its content production.
Everytown for Gun Safety, a prominent U.S. gun violence prevention organisation, is set to become the exclusive advertiser on the revamped Infowars. The group expressed support for The Onion’s plans, hoping that the site’s new direction would offer a satirical and more socially responsible approach.
Following the court-supervised auction, Infowars’ website was temporarily shut down, with The Onion announcing plans to relaunch the platform in January. The Onion will inherit Infowars’ intellectual property, including its website, customer database, select social media accounts, and production equipment. Financial specifics of the purchase remain undisclosed.
The second-highest bid in the auction reportedly came from First United American Companies, an entity with links to Alex Jones, as per court documents. However, The Onion’s bid prevailed, which many have taken as a symbolic end to Infowars’ original legacy.
Jones reacted to the sale on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, alleging political motives behind the decision. “They’re shutting us down”, he posted, vowing to continue his broadcasts on other platforms. “I’m going to be here until they come in here and turn the lights off”.
Though Infowars has now been sold, Alex Jones remains responsible for the majority of his court-ordered financial liabilities. A U.S. bankruptcy judge previously ruled that his defamation related debts could not be discharged through bankruptcy, leaving Jones personally accountable for the bulk of the €1.42 billion in judgements against him.
