It may sound like a joke, but it's not. The Onion, one of the most well-known satirical publications on the planet, announced on Thursday the acquisition, through a public auction, of Infowars, the emblematic website of the empire built by Alex Jones, arguably the most important and influential conspiracy theorist in the United States.
Jones, who amassed immense wealth and a huge online audience by spreading all kinds of misinformation and elaborate plots, was ordered by a court to pay nearly $1.5 billion to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting that took place in 2012. The content creator launched a vicious campaign, resulting in harassment and multiple threats, claiming that the shooting at a school in Connecticut that left 26 dead, including 20 young children, never happened. He insisted it was just a misinformation campaign aimed at changing laws to strip Americans of their right to bear arms.
The families, victims twice over of Jones and his followers' harassment, filed complaints, and the imposed fine forced Jones to declare bankruptcy and auction off his assets. And that's where The Onion comes in, hand in hand with the families themselves.
The publication, whose style is sometimes similar to Spanish equivalents like El Mundo Today, has explained that starting in January, they plan to transform the Infowars website into a gigantic parody of itself, mocking influencers and "strange Internet personalities" like Jones "who deal in misinformation and health supplements," as stated by Ben Collins, the CEO of The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, in an interview with The New York Times.
The trolling operation is massive. In a statement, written in their characteristic humorous tone, mimicking a standard press release in a business operation, The Onion says that the bid was the natural step. "Founded in 1999, after the 'Satanic panic' and constantly growing since then, InfoWars has distinguished itself as an invaluable tool for brainwashing and controlling the masses. With a clever mix of delusional paranoia and dubious anti-aging nutritional tricks, they strive to make life more terrifying and longer for everyone, a commendable goal. They are a true unicorn, capable of simultaneously inspiring public support for billionaires and fueling outrage against an inept federal government that can assassinate JFK but can't even put a man on the Moon," they say on their website.
The amount paid for the acquisition of Infowars and its assets, which include a complete production studio and the dietary supplements business advertised by Jones, in addition to the website's archive, mailing list, and production team, is unknown. Jones's personal wealth has never been disclosed. He was forced to put up for sale a nearly three-million-dollar ranch. And according to journalistic investigations, between 2015 and 2018, he would have earned up to $165 million solely from the sales on his online store, which offers dietary supplements and survival gear.
Jones repeatedly spoke about Sandy Hook, leading to calls to the families' homes, death threats, or rape threats. He forced them to move repeatedly, change phone numbers, stop going to public places. They received letters from people claiming they had urinated on the graves of their supposed children. Even being chased through the streets of their towns by people asking how much money they received from the government for inventing daughters and accusing them of being actors.
One of the parents ended up committing suicide, after creating a foundation in memory of his little one. Neighbors called the widow to warn that there were people in the cemetery where they were buried looking for evidence that they had existed.
In September, a Houston court ruled that the assets of Free Speech Systems, the company of the conspiracy king who declared bankruptcy in 2022, could be auctioned off to compensate creditors, including the families of the Sandy Hook victims. The presenter, idol of the far right, was ordered to pay $965 million in damages for repeatedly claiming that the shooting was a government hoax. Subsequently, an additional $473 million in punitive damages was added.
The demise of Infowars is the justice we have been waiting for and fighting for a long time
"All leftists celebrating the end of Alex Jones and Infowars are idiots," Jones said. "I have offers all over the country, major chains. We have sponsors in the studios [...] All I get is love, and our audiences exploded. So just watch. Watch what already happened when they took Tucker [Carlson] off Fox [News], it became ten times bigger. My goodness, I can't imagine how it's going to blow up in their faces," he explained just hours before learning that it wouldn't be his allies taking control of the remnants of his empire.
Roger Stone, a Trump confidant who was sentenced to over three years in prison for lying to Congress about Russian interference in the 2016 elections and who was released from prison after being pardoned by his friend and ally, is one of those who tried to form a conservative group willing to bid. ""I don't know what will happen in the bankruptcy process, but I do know that Alex Jones will finally rise from the ashes like the Phoenix and will end up with a national audience," said the veteran Republican apparatchik just a few hours ago.
The main confirmed advertiser of the new website, "a hilarious joke" according to the owners, will be Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending gun violence founded after the school massacre. "The Onion has won the auction to acquire Infowars, the herald of misinformation, false information, and hate speech led by its founder, the professional Internet troll, Alex Jones," the association stated. "Alex Jones has profited from the pain of the Sandy Hook families, and his brand of hate-filled misinformation has infiltrated mainstream American culture. We are excited to join them in turning the page on this toxic chapter of misinformation and starting the next chapter of InfoWars, turning it into a tool to combat misinformation and extremism through humor. This new initiative will not only stop the flow of harmful misinformation but also has significant potential to reach new audiences in the fight for gun safety."
"By divesting from Infowars assets, the families and the team at The Onion have provided a public service and will significantly hinder Jones's ability to cause further harm," a spokesperson for the Sandy Hook victims said in a statement. "The dissolution of Alex Jones's assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have been waiting for and fighting for a long time," said Robbie Parker on Thursday in another statement to local media, whose daughter Emilie died in the shooting.