Infowars Has Unexpected Change in Ownership
The Onion has acquired the outlet with support from various Sandy Hook families and Everytown for Gun Safety, for an undisclosed amount. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Sandy Hook families and Everytown for Gun Safety have helped The Onion buy the outlet.
Satirical outlet The Onion has partnered with the U.S. gun control organization Everytown to place the winning bid on InfoWars, which was liquidated by right-wing commentator Alex Jones to settle his significant legal debts. Families of victims from the Sandy Hook school shooting, who had previously won a judgment against Jones, reportedly contributed to this effort.
In 2022, a judge in Connecticut ordered Jones to pay $1.5 billion to the families of those killed in the 2012 shooting, which resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults. The plaintiffs claimed that Jones inflicted emotional harm by asserting that the shooting was “staged” to enable the government to implement strict gun control measures. The families' lawyers sought to shut down InfoWars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems LLC, to help address part of the owed debt.
“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 outlet’s CEO, Ben Collins, on Thursday. “Or Bitcoin. We will also accept Bitcoin.”
After attempting to file for bankruptcy protection and being denied by the courts, Jones was compelled to put InfoWars up for auction. While the exact winning bid amount has not been disclosed, CNN reported that bidding reached “seven figures,” indicating at least $1 million.
Nine Sandy Hook families reportedly agreed to enhance the value of The Onion's bid by forgoing a portion of their recovery funds. In addition, Everytown for Gun Safety contributed financial support, securing an exclusive advertising deal with the revamped InfoWars in return.
The acquisition includes InfoWars' intellectual property, website, inventory, customer lists, specific social media accounts, and production equipment.
Jones founded InfoWars in 1999, and by 2017, the site was attracting approximately 10 million monthly visits, outpacing many mainstream news outlets. He has expressed intentions to resume broadcasting under a different brand as soon as possible.
The Onion originally began as a satirical newspaper mocking the style and substance of U.S. media reporting. In 2016, it was acquired by Univision. Following a decline in popularity during Donald Trump’s first term, The Onion was subsequently sold to the G/O Group, which manages several former Gawker properties. The company has since liquidated or sold off most of these assets.
Since April, The Onion has been under the ownership of tech entrepreneur Jeff Lawson and managed by Collins, a former NBC News reporter specializing in “disinformation, extremism, and the internet.” The outlet’s new management team includes former executives from social media platforms such as TikTok, Tumblr, and the dating app Bumble.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
Satirical outlet The Onion has partnered with the U.S. gun control organization Everytown to place the winning bid on InfoWars, which was liquidated by right-wing commentator Alex Jones to settle his significant legal debts. Families of victims from the Sandy Hook school shooting, who had previously won a judgment against Jones, reportedly contributed to this effort.
In 2022, a judge in Connecticut ordered Jones to pay $1.5 billion to the families of those killed in the 2012 shooting, which resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults. The plaintiffs claimed that Jones inflicted emotional harm by asserting that the shooting was “staged” to enable the government to implement strict gun control measures. The families' lawyers sought to shut down InfoWars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems LLC, to help address part of the owed debt.
“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 outlet’s CEO, Ben Collins, on Thursday. “Or Bitcoin. We will also accept Bitcoin.”
After attempting to file for bankruptcy protection and being denied by the courts, Jones was compelled to put InfoWars up for auction. While the exact winning bid amount has not been disclosed, CNN reported that bidding reached “seven figures,” indicating at least $1 million.
Nine Sandy Hook families reportedly agreed to enhance the value of The Onion's bid by forgoing a portion of their recovery funds. In addition, Everytown for Gun Safety contributed financial support, securing an exclusive advertising deal with the revamped InfoWars in return.
The acquisition includes InfoWars' intellectual property, website, inventory, customer lists, specific social media accounts, and production equipment.
Jones founded InfoWars in 1999, and by 2017, the site was attracting approximately 10 million monthly visits, outpacing many mainstream news outlets. He has expressed intentions to resume broadcasting under a different brand as soon as possible.
The Onion originally began as a satirical newspaper mocking the style and substance of U.S. media reporting. In 2016, it was acquired by Univision. Following a decline in popularity during Donald Trump’s first term, The Onion was subsequently sold to the G/O Group, which manages several former Gawker properties. The company has since liquidated or sold off most of these assets.
Since April, The Onion has been under the ownership of tech entrepreneur Jeff Lawson and managed by Collins, a former NBC News reporter specializing in “disinformation, extremism, and the internet.” The outlet’s new management team includes former executives from social media platforms such as TikTok, Tumblr, and the dating app Bumble.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
