Critics Purchase Alex Jones' Infowars
Several families affected by the Sandy Hook tragedy, along with Everytown for Gun Safety, assisted The Onion in acquiring the outlet for an undisclosed amount. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Sandy Hook families and Everytown for Gun Safety assisted The Onion in acquiring the outlet
Satirical news organization The Onion has collaborated with the gun control group Everytown to successfully bid on InfoWars, which was liquidated by right-wing commentator Alex Jones to address his legal debts. Reportedly, several families of Sandy Hook school shooting victims, who secured a judgment against Jones, also contributed to the effort.
In 2022, a Connecticut judge ordered Jones to pay $1.5 billion to the families of the victims of the 2012 school shooting that resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults. The plaintiffs contended that Jones inflicted emotional harm by asserting that the shooting was "staged" for the purpose of enabling the government to impose strict gun control laws. In their pursuit to collect part of the debt, the families' attorneys sought the closure of InfoWars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems LLC.
“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 Ben Collins, The Onion’s CEO, on Thursday. “Or Bitcoin. We will also accept Bitcoin.”
Although Jones attempted to seek bankruptcy protection, the courts rejected the filing, forcing him to auction off InfoWars. While the exact amount of the winning bid was not revealed, CNN noted that it had reached "seven figures," indicating at least $1 million.
Reportedly, nine Sandy Hook families agreed to enhance the value of The Onion’s bid by sacrificing a portion of their recovery funds. Additionally, Everytown for Gun Safety contributed, securing an exclusive advertising agreement with the revamped version of InfoWars in exchange.
The purchase encompasses InfoWars' intellectual property, website, inventory, customer lists, certain social media accounts, and production equipment.
Founded by Jones in 1999, InfoWars garnered around 10 million monthly visits by 2017, surpassing many established news outlets. Jones has expressed his intention to return to broadcasting under a different brand as soon as possible.
Initially, The Onion was a satirical newspaper that critiqued the style and content of U.S. media reporting. In 2016, it was acquired by Univision. After experiencing a decline in popularity during Donald Trump's first presidency, The Onion was sold to the G/O Group, which owned several former Gawker properties. The company has since divested most of these outlets or liquidated them.
Since April, The Onion has been under the ownership of tech entrepreneur Jeff Lawson and is being managed by Collins, a former NBC News reporter specializing in “disinformation, extremism, and the internet.” The new management team includes former social media executives from TikTok, Tumblr, and the dating app Bumble.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
Satirical news organization The Onion has collaborated with the gun control group Everytown to successfully bid on InfoWars, which was liquidated by right-wing commentator Alex Jones to address his legal debts. Reportedly, several families of Sandy Hook school shooting victims, who secured a judgment against Jones, also contributed to the effort.
In 2022, a Connecticut judge ordered Jones to pay $1.5 billion to the families of the victims of the 2012 school shooting that resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults. The plaintiffs contended that Jones inflicted emotional harm by asserting that the shooting was "staged" for the purpose of enabling the government to impose strict gun control laws. In their pursuit to collect part of the debt, the families' attorneys sought the closure of InfoWars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems LLC.
“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 Ben Collins, The Onion’s CEO, on Thursday. “Or Bitcoin. We will also accept Bitcoin.”
Although Jones attempted to seek bankruptcy protection, the courts rejected the filing, forcing him to auction off InfoWars. While the exact amount of the winning bid was not revealed, CNN noted that it had reached "seven figures," indicating at least $1 million.
Reportedly, nine Sandy Hook families agreed to enhance the value of The Onion’s bid by sacrificing a portion of their recovery funds. Additionally, Everytown for Gun Safety contributed, securing an exclusive advertising agreement with the revamped version of InfoWars in exchange.
The purchase encompasses InfoWars' intellectual property, website, inventory, customer lists, certain social media accounts, and production equipment.
Founded by Jones in 1999, InfoWars garnered around 10 million monthly visits by 2017, surpassing many established news outlets. Jones has expressed his intention to return to broadcasting under a different brand as soon as possible.
Initially, The Onion was a satirical newspaper that critiqued the style and content of U.S. media reporting. In 2016, it was acquired by Univision. After experiencing a decline in popularity during Donald Trump's first presidency, The Onion was sold to the G/O Group, which owned several former Gawker properties. The company has since divested most of these outlets or liquidated them.
Since April, The Onion has been under the ownership of tech entrepreneur Jeff Lawson and is being managed by Collins, a former NBC News reporter specializing in “disinformation, extremism, and the internet.” The new management team includes former social media executives from TikTok, Tumblr, and the dating app Bumble.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
