November 24, 2024 by Kazuki Borchardt (‘26)
Satirical news source The Onion has purchased the right-wing website Infowars.
The Onion came of age in the late 80’s by taking prominent events and political figures and adding a satirical twist. The site continued to gain traction in the 2000s thanks to its often viral and infectious YouTube videos.
In September, Alex Jones’ Infowars went up for auction. Infowars had become notorious for spreading wild conspiracy theories such as the chemical Fluoride had turned Frogs gay, and Hiliary Clinton was the head of a sex trafficking ring. Jones’ website Infowars had been sued by the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting of 2012 after Jones falsely claimed the shooting was fake on the Infowars platform. Jones has since acknowledged the shooting was real, but the families sued him over harassment and threats that resulted from Jones’ speech. The suit resulted in Jones being ordered to pay 1.5 billion dollars in damages to the families and resulted in Jones declaring bankruptcy.
As part of the bankruptcy filing, the rights to the Infowars name and likeness were being auctioned off. The Onion bid on this auction which also contained incentives directly from the families of Sandy Hook victims.
As of right now, we don’t have any update on what The Onion plans to do with the Infowars site, but a court hearing is scheduled regarding the auction process for this Monday.
The Onion’s Bid to Buy Infowars, Alex Jones’s Site, Is Being Contested – The New York Times
What happens next in The Onion’s effort to buy Alex Jones’ Infowars | AP News