"In 2012, a gunman walked into Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut and killed 20 children and six adults. It prompted probably the most serious conversation the US had ever had about gun control. But Jones used it as fodder on his site. The children were alive, he said, the grieving parents were actors. The whole thing was a government plot to take away people's guns."
"In 2018, Jones was sued for defamation by the families. He was eventually ordered to pay a record $1.4bn in damages and filed for bankruptcy. Last Friday, after nearly 30 years of spreading lies, Infowars recorded its final broadcast. Now the site is on the verge of being taken over by the satirical newspaper the Onion."
Alex Jones built Infowars into a prominent far-right conspiracy platform, attracting young employees like Josh Owens who initially embraced his worldview. Following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 26 people, Jones falsely claimed the children were alive and grieving parents were actors, framing the tragedy as a government gun-control conspiracy. These defamatory statements prompted lawsuits from Sandy Hook families. In 2018, Jones was ordered to pay a record $1.4 billion in damages and subsequently filed for bankruptcy. After nearly three decades of spreading misinformation, Infowars broadcast its final episode last Friday. The satirical newspaper the Onion is positioned to take over the site, raising questions about Jones's ultimate influence and legacy.
#misinformation-and-conspiracy-theories #sandy-hook-defamation #alex-jones-and-infowars #far-right-media #legal-accountability
Read at www.theguardian.com
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