Alex Jones’ prized possession, his conspiracy-theory-addled show InfoWars, is set to be sold for scrap. Interestingly enough, some of the people who are interested in buying the site could accurately be construed as some of Jones’ biggest detractors. Indeed, a new report suggests multiple left-leaning media organizations are considering buying the site.
The reason that Jones is being forced to sell his site is that he used it to push unhinged conspiracy theories. For years, Jones spread allegations that the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting never actually happened and was a “hoax.” The families of the Sandy Hook victims then sued Jones, and a court ultimately decided that he was liable for defamation damages. He was subsequently ordered to pay over a billion dollars to the families. Now, in an effort to generate enough money to pay for those damages, Jones’s company, Free Speech Systems (which operates InfoWars), is being liquidated and sold off via auction.
In a twist that could serve as the ultimate humiliation for Jones, left-leaning media groups and companies are considering buying the rightwing site. A new report from Semafor cites multiple groups that have expressed interest. One of the groups in question is Media Matters, a left-leaning watchdog organization that Elon Musk sued earlier this year.
“We are diligently considering this acquisition,” said Angelo Carusone, the president of Media Matters, in an email to Semafor. “As we saw with the Tucker tapes, the archives could contain unbroadcasted material that ends up having real news value—not schadenfreude—but actually useful information,” he added.
Semafor also notes that Jeff Rotkoff, the publisher of leftist blog The Barbed Wire, had also expressed interest. “We started The Barbed Wire in part to disrupt the constant stream of conspiracies and disinformation from people like Alex Jones and Joe Rogan, and it would be a step towards justice to use the InfoWars brand to undo some of the damage they’ve caused,” Rotkoff said.
Yet another possibility is that the families of the victims of Sandy Hook could purchase Stone’s website—something Jones, himself, has previously said that he would support.
Gizmodo reached out to Jones via InfoWars.
Another likely possibility is that someone sympathetic to Jones will help buy the site and “install” Jones as the head of the site again. Those close to Jones—including rightwing weirdo Roger Stone—have claimed they are interested in buying InfoWars. “I am putting together a group to buy @infowars and hire @RealAlexJones to run it,” Stone claimed, in a tweet posted last week. It’s unclear if Stone is serious and/or what “group” he is assembling.
