At long last, InfoWars is ours
Satirical news outlet The Onion is seeking court approval to license and rebrand Infowars.com, the conspiracy site founded by Alex Jones, as part of bankruptcy proceedings tied to the massive defamation judgments won by Sandy Hook families. Commenters weigh whether this is an effective way to both degrade Jones’s influence and raise money for victims, or an overhyped stunt with limited real impact, while also debating The Onion’s current cultural relevance and the broader question of how harshly deliberate misinformation should be punished.
Deal status and structure
- Multiple comments note the takeover is not final; a judge must approve a licensing agreement before control changes.
- The new plan is to license, not buy, InfoWars IP for ~$81k/month, initially for six months, with an option to renew.
- This shift avoids prior bankruptcy issues about how to maximize value for different creditor groups.
- Until approval, Alex Jones continues to operate the site and his show; some doubt the judge will approve or expect appeals.
Intended transformation of InfoWars
- Plans include turning InfoWars into a parody platform, initially mocking Jones’s style, then evolving into independent/experimental comedy.
- Suggestions from commenters: keep existing URLs and rewrite pages as labeled parody; use absurd, scammy ad-laden design; rainbow-onion logo as visual tell.
- Some see it as a “beautiful joke” that repurposes a toxic brand into a creative space.
Moral and strategic rationale
- Key motivation cited: stopping Jones from using the brand to cause “harm at scale” and routing money to Sandy Hook families.
- Some argue any move that prevents a sympathetic right‑wing buyer from continuing his operation is valuable.
- Others question whether the move will meaningfully reduce Jones’s influence, since he already has or can build alternative channels.
- Debate over whether spending nearly $1M/year on the domain is smart or symbolic “burning money.”
Reception of The Onion and its relevance
- Many are enthusiastic, calling it poetic justice and praising the long-running anti–gun-violence stance (e.g., repeated mass‑shooting pieces).
- Others are skeptical: see the stunt as unfunny, self‑indulgent, or a distraction; question The Onion’s current cultural relevance.
- Counterpoints cite strong recent growth and large print circulation as evidence the outlet is still culturally significant.
InfoWars content and audience
- Several readers visit InfoWars and are shocked it’s still real, describing headlines as indistinguishable from parody.
- Others report relatives who treat Jones as a serious authority, illustrating the site’s ongoing real‑world influence.
Defamation, free speech, and damages
- Long subthread clarifies: Jones wasn’t punished for “opinions” but for knowingly false claims (crisis actors, hoax) that led to targeted harassment.
- Some worry billion‑dollar damages chill speech; others argue punitive size is needed to outweigh profits from deliberate lies and deter repetition.
- Discussion covers discovery failures, alleged asset‑hiding, and analogies to other defamation cases.