The sale of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ media empire is a major blow to one of the defining independent media brands that ushered in a new era of fringe thinking, mainstreaming conspiracy theories once banished to the edges of the internet.
And while Jones’ Infowars brand is now owned by the satirical news site The Onion, media researchers and conservative media experts say its legacy will live on thanks to the far-right media ecosystem it helped inspire, which continues to flourish.
YouTube and other social media platforms began removing Jones’ videos in 2018 as they were flagged for violating content rules related to violent and graphic content.
“What is going to happen with Infowars ‘Onion-ified,’ and what is going to happen to the kinds of internet conspiracy theorists who Alex Jones represents?” Phillips asked.
“Alex Jones is not.”
Persons:
Alex Jones, Jones, ”, A.J, Bauer, Donald Trump’s, Infowars, Sandy, Jones “, Reece Peck, Barack Obama, —, ” Jones, Peck, ” Peck, Trump, Sandy Hook, Josh Owens, ” Owens, Owens, “, Elon Musk, Whitney Phillips, ” Phillips, “ Alex Jones
Organizations:
University of Alabama, Sandy Hook Elementary, Free Speech Systems, Safety, Rush, City University of New York, College of, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Trump, Infowars, University of Oregon
Locations:
Newtown , Connecticut, Austin , Texas, College of Staten Island, Trump, Infowars