The Onion is buying Alex Jones’ Infowars at auction with support from the Sandy Hook family

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A satirical newspaper publication Bow won the bidding for Alex Jones Informatov at the bankruptcy auction, backed by the families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to whom Jones owes more than US$1 billion ($1.5 billion) in defamation judgments for calling the massacre a hoax.

“Dissolution of Alex Jones’ estate and death Informatov is the justice we’ve long waited for and fought for,” Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in a 2012 shooting in Connecticut, said in a statement Thursday from his attorneys.

Bow bought a conspiracy theory platform website; accounts on social networks; studio in Austin, Texas; trademarks; and video archive.

Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
Satirical news publication The Onion has won a bid for Alex Jones’ Infowars at a bankruptcy auction, with support from the families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

The sale price was not immediately announced. Bow said its “exclusive launch advertiser” will be the gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

The Informatov The website appeared to be down Thursday morning. Jones was angry and defiant on his live stream before announcing that his show was shutting down and signing off.

Jones vowed to challenge the sale and auction process in court and said he would continue his broadcasts from the new studio using websites and social media accounts he said were already set up.

“The journey has just begun. Thank you,” Jones concluded.

A copy of the satirical newspaper The Onion
The Onion, a Chicago-based satirical site that thrives on convincing people to believe the absurd, confirmed the sale in a column on its website. (AP Photo/Jill Bleed)
Global Tetrahedron, LLC, owner of The Onion, is pictured at the entrance to the office building that houses the satirical publication,
Global Tetrahedron, LLC, owner of The Onion, is shown on the entrance screen to the office building that is the headquarters of the satirical publication, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

Bowthe Chicago-based satirical site that thrives on convincing people to believe the absurd confirmed the sale in a column on its website.

“No price would be too high for such a cornucopia of malleable assets and minds,” read the satirical post.

“And yet, in a stroke of luck, a fearsome special interest group outsmarted the hapless owner InfoWars (an unforgettable man with an already forgotten name) and forced him to sell it at a high price: less than a trillion dollars.”

Bow bills itself as “the world’s leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally respected coverage of the latest national, international and local news” and says it has 4.3 trillion daily readers.

Recent headlines include: “Trump’s Boys Fight Over Who Will Lead Foreign Policy Meetings,” “Oklahoma Law Requires Ten Commandments Displayed on Every Uterus,” and “Man Who Forgets the Difference Between a Meteoroid and a Meteorite Struggles to Describe What He Is just killed a Dog.”

Infowar set
Everytown for Gun Safety said it will use Infowars platforms to raise awareness about gun violence. (ThreeSixty Asset Advisors via AP)

The publication consulted on the bid with some of the Sandy Hook families who have sued Jones for defamation and emotional distress in lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas, lawyers for the families said.

“Our clients knew that true responsibility meant the end Informatov and an end to Jones’ ability to spread lies, pain and fear on a grand scale,” said Christopher Mattei, the family’s attorney.

Everytown for Gun Safety said it would use Informatov platforms to raise awareness about gun violence.

Sandy Hook families sued Jones and his company for repeatedly saying on his show that the shooting that killed 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax orchestrated by crisis actors to push for more gun control.

Parents and children of many victims testified that they were traumatized by Jones’ plots and threats by his followers.

Ruby slippers that were once stolen 19 years ago fetch a staggering sum at auction

Before signing off Thursday, Jones repeatedly told listeners that a receiver and others were in the building and threatening to shut down the show at any moment.

Sealed bids for the private auction opened Wednesday. Both supporters and detractors of Jones have expressed interest in buying Infowars.

Jones told listeners that he might stay on Infowars platforms if his supporters win the contest.

The bankruptcy trustee named First United American Companies, a company linked to one of Jones’ product sales sites, as a “backup offer” in case the purchase of The Onion falls through.

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