Satirical news outlet The Onion said Thursday it won a bankruptcy auction for Infowars, the conspiracy theory platform founded by Alex Jones — who owes more than $1 billion to the families of Sandy Hook victims after calling the massacre a hoax .
The Onion’s bid was supported by the families of the shooting victims in the battle to gain control of Jones’ company, Free Speech Systems.
“The dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long waited and fought for,” Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was among the 20 children killed in the 2012 shooting, said in a statement. in Connecticut. statement given by his lawyers.
Ben Collins, CEO of Onion’s Global Tetrahedron, told the New York Times that he plans to relaunch Infowars in January as a parody of himself, poking fun at “weird Internet personalities” like Jones who spread misinformation and sell supplements. Health on Amazon.
“We thought this would be a funny joke,” Collins said. “This will be our answer to this world without railings where there are no gatekeepers and everything is kind of crazy.”
Collins declined to disclose the price he paid for Infowars and its assets, including the production studio and dietary supplement business.
Jones confirmed The Onion’s acquisition of Infowars in a video posted to X on Thursday and said he planned to file legal challenges to stop it. He was broadcasting live from the Infowars studio and looked visibly upset, resting his head in his hands on his desk.
“The latest broadcast now live from Infowars studios. They are in the building. They are ordering closure without court approval,” Jones said.
Family members of Sandy Hook shooting victims sued Jones in Connecticut Supreme Court in 2018 after he spread the baseless claim that the massacre was a fabricated pretext to take away Americans’ guns.
The sale comes after a Houston judge ruled in September that Infowars and other assets owned by Free Speech Systems can be auctioned off in bankruptcy to compensate Jones’ creditors, which include the families of Sandy Hook victims.
Jones filed for bankruptcy in 2022.
Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit committed to ending gun violence that was founded after the Sandy Hook shooting, will advertise on a relaunched version of the site under The Onion, the Times reported.
The Onion declined to disclose details of the advertising deal, but said it will include banner ads and sponsored articles on the site.
While Everytown and The Onion may seem like an odd couple, Everytown President John Feinblatt told the Times that the two organizations share an interest in stopping gun violence.
He pointed to The Onion’s shared viral headline after a school attack: ‘There’s no way to prevent this,’ says the nation where it happens regularly.”
“This was an opportunity for us to give The Onion the facts, stories, data and research that are at our fingertips,” Feinblatt said. “And for them to give us the creativity of how to turn all that information into new messages for a new audience.”
Collins noted that the relaunched Infowars may publish its own satirical stories on America’s gun violence epidemic in Everytown-sponsored content.
Chris Mattei, an advocate for Sandy Hook families, applauded the Infowars acquisition.
“By divesting Jones of Infowars’ assets, the families and the team at The Onion have done a public service and will significantly hinder Jones’ ability to do more damage,” Mattei said.
Collins added: “They’re all human beings with a sense of humor who want fun things to happen and want good things to happen in their lives. They also want to be a part of something good and positive.”
The Onion was sold by G/O Media in April to a new Chicago-based firm called Global Tetrahedron, backed by Jeff Lawson, co-founder of tech firm Twilio.
Relaunched the print edition of the site in August.Â
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