The Onion acquires Infowars in bankruptcy auction from Alex Jones

The Onion has won the bankruptcy auction for control over Alex Jones’ media empire, including InfoWars. Jones announced the sale on Thursday, revealing that The Onion had purchased his company. The satirical news company plans to shut down InfoWars and rebuild the website with humor writers and content creators. Jones, known for spreading false conspiracy theories, built a small empire centered around Infowars. The details of the auction, including the amount offered, are not known. The funds from the sale will go towards paying damages to the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting victims, who sued Jones for defamation. Juries awarded the families $1.5 billion in total, but Jones claimed he couldn’t afford to pay. The sale was supported by the Sandy Hook families and the anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety, who will be the exclusive advertiser in The Onion’s new venture. Everytown’s president hopes to reach new audiences and hold the gun industry accountable for contributing to gun violence in the country. The sale of InfoWars is seen as a public service and a way to hinder Jones’ ability to spread harmful lies and fear.

Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com