The US satirical magazine The Onion has achieved a special coup: the magazine buys the website of the right-wing conspiracy theorist Jones. It was supported by the survivors of a school massacre, which he denied.
After US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones went bankrupt, the satirical magazine The Onion bought his right-wing portal Infowars. “Last broadcast now live from the Infowar studios,” Jones wrote on the X platform. “They are in the building. Order closure without court approval.” Just hours after the sale was announced, Infowars' website was no longer accessible.
The Onion acquired the portal at an auction of Jones' assets and was supported by relatives of the victims of the Newtown school massacre. In 2012, 20 primary school children and six teachers were killed.
“The justice we have long waited for”
For those left behind, the sale of Infowars now means at least a little late satisfaction. Jones had claimed for years that the school attack was staged with actors to force stricter gun laws. Several families sued him for defamation and emotional distress. Some said they had also been threatened by his supporters. Jones was ordered to pay more than $1 billion in damages to the victims' families – leading to his bankruptcy and auction.
“The liquidation of Alex Jones' fortune and the end of Infowars is the justice we have long waited and fought for,” said Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed at the time. Jones has since admitted that the Newtown massacre did occur.
Infowars was Jones' central source of money. Among other things, he sold dubious nutritional supplements there. He also spread various conspiracy stories via the portal and used political opinion.
Infowars Parody Plans
The Onion acquired the rights to the Infowars brand, website, social media accounts, Austin, Texas studio and video archive. How much the magazine put on the table for this is unclear. The satirical magazine announced that the Infowars channels would now be about preventing gun violence. The partner is the organization Everytown for Gun Safety.
The Onion has a long tradition as a satirical publication and has been owned by tech entrepreneur Jeff Lawson since this spring. Infowars should be relaunched in January as a parody of the previous portal, he told the New York Times.
Jones was hoping for supporters
Jones announced he would take legal action against the purchase. In his broadcast on Thursday morning, he appeared visibly upset and put his head between his hands. He had hoped that perhaps some of his supporters would auction his platform so that he could continue his work there.
The sealed bids were opened on Wednesday. It was not revealed who else made a bid and how high it was. Among others, Trump confidant Roger Stone had expressed interest. Jones had said before the auction that a new studio and new social media channels would already be ready in the event of a takeover by his enemies.
