Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information.
Welcome to FTW Explains: A guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may be trying to wrap your head around The Onion buying InfoWars and are wondering what’s up with that. We’ve got you covered.
This is not satire. This is real life. The Onion — known for decades for an empire of satirical news, videos and beyond — announced on Thursday that it had purchased InfoWars, known for being run by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones before a lawsuit by families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took the site down.
Let’s explain it all for you.
Wait, so The Onion REALLY bought InfoWars?
Sure did.
Why was InfoWars for sale?
Because Alex Jones was ordered to pay over $1 billion in compensation to the families of Sandy Hook victims who suffered harm from Jones spreading lies that the shooting was a hoax.
A U.S. Bankruptcy judge approved an order this year to have Jones’ assets — including the site — sold off.
And The Onion bought it? This isn’t just some wacky prank or headline?
Nope! They really did it. From The New York Times:
The Onion said that the bid was sanctioned by the families of the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, who in 2022 won a $1.4 billion defamation lawsuit against Mr. Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems. …
The publication plans to reintroduce Infowars in January as a parody of itself, mocking “weird internet personalities” like Mr. Jones who traffic in misinformation and health supplements, Ben Collins, the chief executive of The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, said in an interview.
What did The Onion have to say about this directly?
In only the way The Onion can:
Founded in 1999 on the heels of the Satanic “panic” and growing steadily ever since, InfoWars has distinguished itself as an invaluable tool for brainwashing and controlling the masses. With a shrewd mix of delusional paranoia and dubious anti-aging nutrition hacks, they strive to make life both scarier and longer for everyone, a commendable goal. They are a true unicorn, capable of simultaneously inspiring public support for billionaires and stoking outrage at an inept federal state that can assassinate JFK but can’t even put a man on the Moon.
What is The Onion going to do with InfoWars?
Sounds like the plan is to mock Jones and others of his ilk. But there’s more. From The Associated Press:
The Onion said its “exclusive launch advertiser” will be the gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.
“Everytown will continue to raise awareness on InfoWars’ channels about gun violence prevention and present actual solutions to our nation’s gun violence crisis, including bipartisan, common-sense measures and public safety initiatives backed by Everytown,” The Onion said in a statement Thursday.
Is Jones trying to stop this?
Yep, per The AP he’s going to “file legal challenges to stop it.”
And it looks like we’ll have to wait a week to see how things proceed, as a judge has put a hold on the sale due to bidding transparency concerns.
NEWS: judge in @RealAlexJones bankruptcy put a hold on the @infowars sale to The Onion til next week, due to concerns about bidding transparency. Sale drew only 2 bidders: one linked to Jones & The Onion. Losing bid was more in cash: $3.5 mln 🎁link: https://t.co/LnzIYKAwML
— Elizabeth Williamson (@NYTLiz) November 14, 2024
