InfoWars explained

InfoWars
Type:
Url:infowars.com
Registration:None
Language:English
Owner:Alex Jones (via Free Speech Systems LLC)
Current Status:Active
Launched:[1]

InfoWars is an American far-right conspiracy theory and fake news website owned by Alex Jones.[2] [3] It was founded in 1999, and operates under Free Speech Systems LLC.[4]

Talk shows and other content for the site are created primarily in studios at an undisclosed location in an industrial area in the outskirts of Austin, Texas.[5] Reports in 2017 stated that the InfoWars website received approximately 10 million monthly visits, making its reach greater than some mainstream news websites such as The Economist and Newsweek at the time.[6] [7]

The site has regularly published fake stories which have been linked to harassment of victims. In February 2018, Jones, the publisher, director and owner of InfoWars, was accused of discrimination and sexually harassing employees.[8] InfoWars, and in particular Jones, advocate numerous conspiracy theories, particularly around purported domestic false flag operations by the U.S. government (which they allege include the 9/11 attacks and Sandy Hook shootings). InfoWars has issued retractions various times as a result of legal challenges.[9] [10] Jones has had contentious material removed, and has also been suspended and banned from many platforms for violating their terms of service, including Facebook,[11] Twitter,[12] YouTube,[13] iTunes,[14] and Roku.[15]

InfoWars earns revenue from the sale of products pitched by Jones during the show, including dietary supplements. It has been called as much "an online store that uses Mr. Jones's commentary to move merchandise" as a media outlet.[16]

On July 30, 2022, amidst a $150 million lawsuit brought against Jones and InfoWars by Sandy Hook families, Free Speech Systems filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[17] On June 23, 2024, a bankruptcy court-appointed trustee requested an emergency stay to sell, shut down and liquidate InfoWars.[18]

History

InfoWars was created in 1999 by American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who remains its controlling influence.[19] [20] InfoWars features The Alex Jones Show on their broadcasts and was established as a public-access television program aired in Austin, Texas in 1999.

During the 2016 presidential election, the website was promoted by bots connected to the Russian government.[21] A 2017 study by the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University found that InfoWars was the 13th most shared source by supporters of Donald Trump on Twitter during the election.[22] [23]

In 2016, Paul Joseph Watson was hired as editor-at-large.[24] [25] In February 2017, political commentator Jerome Corsi was hired as Washington bureau chief,[26] after InfoWars was granted a White House day pass.[27] In June 2018, Corsi's connection to InfoWars ended; he received six months of severance payments.[28]

In May 2017, Mike Cernovich joined the InfoWars team as a scheduled guest host for The Alex Jones Show,[29] with CNN reporting the "elevation to InfoWars host represents the meteoric rise in his profile".[30] On July 6, 2017, alongside Paul Joseph Watson, Jones began hosting a contest to create the best "CNN Meme", for which the winner would receive $20,000. They were responding to CNN reporting on a Reddit user who had created a pro-Trump, anti-CNN meme.[31] [32]

In June 2017, it was announced that Roger Stone, a former campaign advisor for Donald Trump, would be hosting his own InfoWars show "five nights a week", with an extra studio being built to accommodate his show.

In March 2018, a number of major brands in the U.S. suspended their ads from InfoWarss YouTube channels, after CNN notified them that their ads were running adjacent to InfoWars content.[33]

In July 2018, YouTube removed four of InfoWarss uploaded videos that violated its policy against hate speech and suspended posts for 90 days. Facebook also banned Jones after it determined four videos on his pages violated its community standards in July 2018.[13] [11] In August 2018, YouTube, Apple and Facebook removed content from Jones and InfoWars, citing their policies against hate speech and harassment.[14]

In an October 2018 Simmons Research survey of 38 news organizations, InfoWars was ranked the second least trusted news organization by Americans, with The Daily Caller being lower-ranked.[34]

On March 12, 2020, Attorney General of New York Letitia James issued a cease and desist letter to Jones concerning InfoWarss sale of unapproved products that the website falsely asserted to be government-approved treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).[35] On April 9, the FDA ordered InfoWars to discontinue the sale of a number of products marketed as remedies for COVID-19 in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, including toothpaste, liquids, and gels containing colloidal silver.[36] [37]

Claims of sexual harassment and antisemitism

In 2017, Haaretz reported that InfoWars had accused Israel of involvement in the 9/11 attacks, accused the Rothschilds of promoting "endless war, debt slavery and a Luciferian agenda", and claimed that U.S. healthcare was under the control of a "Jewish mafia".[38]

In February 2018, Jones was accused by two former employees of antisemitism, anti-black racism and sexual harassment of both male and female staff members. He denied the allegations.[39] [40] [41]

Two former employees filed complaints against Jones with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.[42]

Removals from other websites

On July 27, 2018, Facebook suspended Alex Jones's official page for thirty days, claiming Jones had participated in hate speech against Robert Mueller.[43] This was swiftly followed by action from other bodies—on August 6, Facebook, Apple, YouTube and Spotify all removed content by Alex Jones and InfoWars from their platforms for violating their policies. YouTube removed channels associated with Infowars, including The Alex Jones Channel, which had gained 2.4 million subscriptions prior to its removal.[44] On Facebook, four pages associated with InfoWars and Alex Jones were removed due to repeated violations of the website's policies. Apple removed all podcasts associated with Jones from its iTunes platform and its podcast app.[14] On August 13, Vimeo removed all Jones's videos because they "violated our terms of service prohibitions on discriminatory and hateful content".[45] By February 2019, a total of 89 pages associated with InfoWars or Alex Jones had been removed from Facebook due to its recidivism policy, which is designed to prevent circumventing a ban.[46] In May 2019, President Donald Trump tweeted or retweeted defenses of people associated with InfoWars, including editor Paul Joseph Watson and host Alex Jones, after the Facebook ban.[47]

Jones's accounts have also been removed from Pinterest,[48] Mailchimp,[49] LinkedIn,[50] and Instagram.[51] The Wikipedia community deprecated and blacklisted InfoWars as a source by snowball clause consensus in 2018, determining that InfoWars is a "conspiracy theorist and fake news website".[52]

Beginning in September 2018, Jones and InfoWars were both suspended from Twitter and Periscope, a Twitter subsidiary. This followed Jones tweeting a Periscope video calling on others "to get their battle rifles ready against antifa, the mainstream media, and Chicom operatives".[53] In the video he also stated, "Now is time to act on the enemy before they do a false flag." Twitter cited this as the reason to suspend his account for a week on August 14.[54] On September 6, Twitter permanently banned InfoWars and temporarily banned Alex Jones for repeated violations of the site's terms and conditions. Twitter cited abusive behavior, namely a video that "shows Jones shouting at and berating CNN journalist Oliver Darcy for some 10 minutes during congressional hearings about social media."[12] Though originally intended to be permanent, the ban on Jones was overturned by Elon Musk in December 2023, following Musk's acquisition of Twitter.[55]

On September 7, 2018, the InfoWars app was removed from the Apple App Store.[56] On September 20, 2018, PayPal informed InfoWars they would cease processing payments in ten days because "promotion of hate and discrimination runs counter to our core value of inclusion."[57] On May 2, 2019, Facebook and Instagram banned Jones and InfoWars as part of a larger ban of far-right extremists. The ban covered videos, audio clips, and articles from InfoWars, but excluded criticism of InfoWars. Facebook indicated it would take down groups that violated the ban.[58] The InfoWars app was pulled from Google Play on March 27, 2020, for violating its policies on spreading "misleading or harmful disinformation", after Jones opposed efforts to contain COVID-19 and said "natural antivirals" could treat the disease.[59]

In March 2023, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported on Jones' leaked texts from his Sandy Hook defamation trial. The texts revealed that Jones and his collaborators had been trying to evade social media bans of InfoWars content by setting up alternate websites such as National File to disguise its origin.[60] [61]

Content

Promotion of conspiracy theories and fake news

InfoWars disseminates multiple conspiracy theories, including false claims against the HPV vaccine[62] and claims the 2017 Las Vegas shooting was part of a conspiracy.[63] In 2015, skeptic Brian Dunning listed it at #4 on a "Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites" list.

InfoWars advocates New World Order conspiracy theories, 9/11 conspiracy theories, the chemtrail conspiracy theory, conspiracy theories involving Bill Gates, supposed covert government weather control programs, claims of rampant domestic false flag operations by the US Government (including 9/11), and the unsupported claim that millions voted illegally in the 2016 US presidential election.[64] [65] Jones frequently uses InfoWars to assert that mass shootings are conspiracies or "false flag" operations; these false claims are often subsequently spread by other fake news outlets and on social media.[66] [67] This has been characterized as Second Amendment "fan fiction".[68]

Infowars has published and promoted fake news,[69] and Jones has been accused of knowingly misleading people to make money.[70] In the summer of 2015, video editor Josh Owens and reporter Joe Biggs took a video of workers loading cargo in Texas. They claimed the men were drug smugglers; the Drudge Report picked up their headline, and Donald Trump used it in a campaign speech. Owens admitted years later: "It's not about truth, it's not about accuracy — it's about what's going to make people click on this video...In essence, we lied." (Biggs was later indicted for seditious conspiracy for his role with the Proud Boys in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.)[71] As part of the probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, InfoWars was investigated to see if it was complicit in the dissemination of fake news stories distributed by Russian bots.[72]

From May 2014 to November 2017, InfoWars republished articles from multiple sources without permission, including over 1,000 from Russian state-sponsored news network RT, as well as stories from news outlets such as CNN, the BBC, and The New York Times which Salon said were "dwarfed" by those from RT.[73] [74]

A 2020 study by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern and Rutgers universities found that InfoWars was among the top 5 most shared fake news domains in tweets related to COVID-19, the others being The Gateway Pundit, WorldNetDaily, Judicial Watch and Natural News.

Claims of false flag school shootings

InfoWars has regularly claimed, without evidence, that mass shootings have been staged "false flag" operations and has accused survivors of such events of being crisis actors employed by the United States government. InfoWars host Alex Jones promoted the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting conspiracy theories, claiming that the massacre of twenty elementary school students and six staff members was "completely fake" and "manufactured," a stance for which Jones was heavily criticized.[75] In March 2018, six families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, as well as an FBI agent who responded to the attack, filed a defamation lawsuit against Jones for his role in spreading conspiracy theories about the shooting.[76] [77] [78] [79] In December 2019, InfoWars and Jones were ordered to pay $100,000 in legal fees prior to the trial for another defamation lawsuit from a different family whose son was killed in the shooting.[80] [81] In a June 2022 agreement, the families will drop their Texas and Connecticut defamation cases against Infowars, Prison Planet TV and IW Health, and in return, those companies will no longer pursue their Texas case for bankruptcy protection. The families may continue to pursue defamation cases against Alex Jones and Free Speech Systems.[82]

Jones has also accused David Hogg and other survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting of being crisis actors.[83]

Pizzagate conspiracy theory

InfoWars promoted fabricated Pizzagate claims. The fake claims led to harassment of the owner and employees of Comet Ping Pong, a Washington, D.C. pizzeria targeted by the conspiracy theories, including threatening phone calls, online harassment, and death threats. The owner sent a letter to Jones in February 2017 demanding a retraction or apology. (Such a letter is required before a party may seek punitive damages in an action for libel under Texas law).[84]

After receiving the letter, Jones said, "I want our viewers and listeners to know that we regret any negative impact our commentaries may have had on Mr. Alefantis, Comet Ping Pong, or its employees. We apologize to the extent our commentaries could be construed as negative statements about Mr. Alefantis or Comet Ping Pong, and we hope that anyone else involved in commenting on Pizzagate will do the same thing." InfoWars also issued a correction on its website.[85]

InfoWars reporter Owen Shroyer also targeted East Side Pies, a group of pizza restaurants in Austin, Texas, with similar fake "Pizzagate" claims. Following the claims, the pizza business was targeted by phone threats, vandalism, and harassment, which the co-owners called "alarming, disappointing, disconcerting and scary".[86]

Chobani retraction

In 2017, InfoWars (along with similar sites) published a fake story about U.S. yogurt manufacturer Chobani, with headlines including "Idaho yogurt maker caught importing migrant rapists" and "allegations that Chobani's practice of hiring refugees brought crime and tuberculosis to Twin Falls". Chobani ultimately filed a federal lawsuit against Jones,[87] which led to a settlement on confidential terms in May 2017. Jones offered an apology and retraction, admitting he had made "certain statements" on InfoWars "that I now understand to be wrong".[9] [10]

Seth Rich retraction

In 2019, Jerome Corsi and InfoWars apologized and retracted a story promoting conspiracy theories about the murder of Seth Rich. The retraction was published on the front page of InfoWars, where Corsi said that "his allegations were not based upon any independent factual knowledge." Corsi said that he retracted the story because it relied on information that the Washington Times had retracted, but still thought that investigators should look into whether Seth Rich played a role.[88] [89]

Businesses

While Jones has stated, "I'm not a business guy, I'm a revolutionary", he spends much of InfoWarss air time pitching dietary supplements and survivalist products to his audience. As a private firm, InfoWars and its affiliated limited liability companies are not required to make public financial statements; as a result, observers can only estimate its revenue and profits.[16]

Prior to 2013, Jones focused on building a "media empire".[90] By 2013, Alex Seitz-Wald of Salon estimated that Jones was earning as much as $10 million a year between subscriptions, web and radio advertising, and sales of DVDs, T-shirts, and other merchandise.[91] That year, Jones changed his business model to incorporate selling proprietary dietary supplements, including one that promised to "supercharge" cognitive functions.[90]

Unlike most talk radio shows, InfoWars itself does not directly generate income. It gets no syndication fees from its syndicater GCN, no cut of the advertising that GCN sells, and it does not sell its three minutes per hour of national advertising time. The show no longer promotes its video service (though it still exists), and has not made any documentary films since 2012.[90] Virtually all money is made by selling Jones's dietary supplements to viewers and listeners through the site's online store.[90]

In 2017, the supplements sold on the InfoWars store were primarily sourced from Dr. Edward F. Group III, a chiropractor who founded the Global Healing Center supplement vendor.[90] A significant portion of InfoWarss products contain colloidal silver, which Jones falsely claimed "kills every virus", including "the whole SARS-corona family"; this claim was disputed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).[92]

A lesser source of revenue for InfoWars is its "money bomb" telethons, which resemble public radio fundraisers, except InfoWars is a for-profit institution. According to former InfoWars employees, a money bomb was able to raise $100,000 in a day.[93]

In 2014, Jones claimed that InfoWars was accumulating over $20 million in annual revenue. The New York Times attributed most of the revenue to sales of supplements, including "Super Male Vitality" and "Brain Force Plus," which InfoWars purported would increase testosterone and mental agility, respectively.[16] Court documents in 2014 indicate that InfoWars was successful enough for Jones and his then-wife to be planning to "build a swimming pool complex... featuring a waterfall and dining cabana with a stone fireplace". The documents also listed Jones's possessions, including four Rolex watches, a $40,000 saltwater aquarium, a $70,000 grand piano, $50,000 in weapons, and $70,000 in jewelry.[16]

After InfoWars was banned by Facebook, YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and Pinterest, Jones appealed to viewers, "The enemy wants to cut off our funding to destroy us. If you don't fund us, we'll be shut down."[16]

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

In April 2022, it became known the company behind InfoWars had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as had Infowars Health (or IWHealth), against further civil litigation lawsuits.[94] The court filings estimated InfoWars assets at between $0–$50,000, but its liabilities (including from the damages awarded against Jones in defamation suits) was estimated as being between $1 million to $10 million.[95]

Planned shutdown and liquidation

On June 23, 2024, Jones' court-appointed bankruptcy trustee Christopher Murray filed an "emergency" motion in a Houston court indicating his intention to shut down InfoWars.[96] According to the motion, Murray made plans to "conduct an orderly wind-down" of the operations of Free Speech Systems, InfoWars’ parent company, and also "liquidate its inventory", but he did not announce a timetable; on his radio show, Jones had said that he expects InfoWars to operate for a few more months, or to be sold to another party that may retain him as an employee.[97] Murray also asked the bankruptcy court to put a hold on the Sandy Hook families' attempts to collect their settlements from Jones, saying that their efforts would interfere with the liquidation; much of its proceeds would ultimately go to the families, Murray said.

Hosts

Alex Jones

Alex Jones is the main host and operator of InfoWars.

Owen Shroyer

See main article: Owen Shroyer. Owen Shroyer (born 1989) is an American political activist and commentator from St. Louis who now lives and works in Texas. He is considered to be part of the US alt-right movement.[98]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: InfoWars.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info–DomainTools. WHOIS. March 16, 2018. May 2, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190502180308/http://whois.domaintools.com/infowars.com. live.
  2. Book: Sandlin, Jennifer . Paranoid Pedagogies: Education, Culture, and Paranoia . . 2017 . 978-3-319-64764-7 . 170 . June 22, 2020 . . January 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210114061231/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Paranoid_Pedagogies/Drg7DwAAQBAJ?gbpv=1&pg=PA170 . live .
  3. News: Roger Stone, former Donald Trump adviser, lands InfoWars gig with Alex Jones . . December 31, 2017 . June 22, 2020 . July 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180722112128/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jun/2/roger-stone-former-trump-advisor-lands-infowars-gi/ . live .
  4. News: Free Speech Systems LLC . . December 31, 2017 . June 30, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180630214158/https://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/companies/0897673D:US-free-speech-systems-llc . live .
  5. News: A Visit to the InfoWars Studios of Alex Jones . . December 31, 2017 . December 31, 2017 . August 19, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170819191717/http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-visit-to-the-infowars-studios-of-alex-jones-a-1136654.html . live .
  6. Web site: Infowars.com Audience Insights . quantcast.com . December 9, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171210072444/https://www.quantcast.com/infowars.com?qcLocale=en_US#trafficCard . December 10, 2017 . dead .
  7. News: Alex Jones, Pizzagate booster and America's most famous conspiracy theorist, explained . Vox . December 9, 2017 . December 10, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171210071900/https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/10/28/13424848/alex-jones-infowars-prisonplanet . live .
  8. Web site: Pink . Aiden . Alex Jones Accused Of Anti-Semitism, Sexual Harassment . . 17 February 2022 . 1 March 2018.
  9. Web site: Wattles . Jackie . 2017-05-17 . InfoWars' Alex Jones apologizes for saying Chobani supports 'migrant rapists' . 2024-06-23 . CNNMoney.
  10. Web site: Montero . David . 2017-05-17 . Alex Jones settles Chobani lawsuit and retracts comments about refugees in Twin Falls, Idaho . 2024-06-23 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  11. News: Alex Jones slammed with 30-day ban from Facebook for hateful videos [Update]]. Ars Technica. July 29, 2018. en-us. July 28, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180728112041/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/alex-jones-slammed-with-30-day-ban-from-facebook-for-hateful-videos/. live.
  12. News: Twitter permanently bans Alex Jones and Infowars. September 6, 2018. CBS News. September 6, 2018. September 7, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180907032302/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/twitter-bans-alex-jones-and-infowars-today-2018-09-06-live-updates/. live.
  13. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44965160 "YouTube removes 'hate speech' videos from InfoWars"
  14. News: Riley . Charles . YouTube, Apple and Facebook remove content from InfoWars and Alex Jones . CNN Money . August 6, 2018 . August 6, 2018 . August 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180806114547/https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/06/technology/facebook-infowars-alex-jones/index.html . live .
  15. Web site: Roku U-turn over streaming Alex Jones's InfoWars . BBC News . January 16, 2019 . January 16, 2019 . January 16, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190116123609/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-46890014 . live .
  16. News: Williamson . Elizabeth . Steel . Emily . Conspiracy Theories Made Alex Jones Very Rich. They May Bring Him Down. . The New York Times . September 7, 2018 . The New York Times . September 7, 2018 . September 8, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180908012917/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/us/politics/alex-jones-business-infowars-conspiracy.html . live .
  17. Web site: Melhado . William . 2022-07-30 . Alex Jones' company files for bankruptcy midway through Sandy Hook damages trial . 2022-08-03 . The Texas Tribune . en.
  18. Web site: Alex Jones' court trustee plans to shut down his notorious conspiracy outlet Infowars . June 24, 2024 . Gold . Hadas . . June 24, 2024.
  19. News: Relman . Eliza . How a public-access broadcaster from Austin, Texas, became a major conspiracy theorist and one of Trump's most vocal supporters . Business Insider . June 19, 2017 . January 17, 2018 . February 24, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180224043744/http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-jones-bio-conspiracy-trump-megyn-kelly-2017-6 . live .
  20. Web site: Free Speech Systems, Llc . companiestx.com . January 6, 2018 . January 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180107062805/https://companiestx.com/company/32034156953/free-speech-systems-llc . live .
  21. News: FBI investigating if right-wing sites had role in campaign hacks. Daily News. January 2, 2018. New York. en. January 3, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180103072528/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/fbi-investigating-right-wing-sites-role-campaign-hack-article-1.3004192. live.
  22. News: Blake. Aaron. August 22, 2017. Analysis Trump backers' alarming reliance on hoax and conspiracy theory websites, in 1 chart. en-US. Washington Post. 2021-10-10. 0190-8286.
  23. Book: Faris. Robert. Partisanship, Propaganda, and Disinformation: Online Media and the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. Roberts. Hal. Etling. Bruce. August 8, 2017. Berkman Center for Internet & Society. 72. 1048396744.
  24. News: The live-streamers who are challenging traditional journalism . . December 11, 2017 . January 1, 2018 . January 8, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190108014201/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/11/the-live-streamers-who-are-challenging-traditional-journalism . live .
  25. News: Top InfoWars editor criticizes Trump after anti-Muslim tweets . . November 29, 2017 . January 1, 2018 . January 2, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180102021201/http://thehill.com/homenews/news/362288-top-infowars-editor-criticizes-trump-after-anti-muslim-tweets . live .
  26. News: The Conspiracy Bureau: Alex Jones Teams Up With Jerome Corsi for White House Coverage . . February 2, 2017 . December 31, 2017 . January 1, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180101030220/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/02/02/conspiracy-bureau-alex-jones-teams-jerome-corsi-white-house-coverage . live .
  27. Web site: Conspiracy outlet InfoWars was granted temporary White House press credentials . . May 22, 2017 . December 31, 2017 . January 17, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180117224243/http://uk.businessinsider.com/infowars-granted-white-house-press-credentials-2017-5 . live .
  28. News: Roig-Franzia. Manuel. Helderman. Rosalind S.. Witness in special counsel probe, former Stone associate, collected payments from Infowars through job Stone arranged. The Washington Post. January 24, 2019. August 17, 2019. July 30, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190730082326/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/witness-in-special-counsel-probe-former-stone-associate-collected-payments-from-infowars-through-job-stone-arranged/2019/01/24/4dfa4300-1e57-11e9-9145-3f74070bbdb9_story.html. live.
  29. News: Mike Cernovich, conspiracy theorist praised by Trump Jr., lands InfoWars gig with Alex Jones. The Washington Times. May 4, 2017. January 2, 2018. January 3, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180103011715/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/may/4/mike-cernovich-conspiracy-theorist-praised-by-trum/. live.
  30. News: Right-wing troll Mike Cernovich goes professional with new hosting gig at InfoWars. CNN. May 3, 2017. August 3, 2020. May 7, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170507021733/http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/03/media/mike-cernovich-infowars-alex-jones/index.html. live.
  31. News: Holt. Jared. From meme wars to death threats: How far-right internet culture turns into political action. July 8, 2017. Media Matters for America. July 7, 2017. en. July 7, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170707234713/https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/07/07/meme-wars-death-threats-how-far-right-internet-culture-turns-political-action/217173. live.
  32. News: Fearnow. Benjamin.
    1. CNNBlackmail, Trump Trolls: Barrage Of Negative Reviews Tank CNN App Ratings
    . July 8, 2017. International Business Times. July 6, 2017. July 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170709055634/http://www.ibtimes.com/cnnblackmail-trump-trolls-barrage-negative-reviews-tank-cnn-app-ratings-2562169. live.
  33. Web site: Advertisers flee InfoWars founder Alex Jones' YouTube channel. Paul P. Murphy. Gianluca Mezzofiore. March 3, 2018. Money.cnn.com. March 4, 2018. March 3, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180303232148/http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/03/technology/youtube-ads-infowars-alex-jones/index.html. live.
  34. Web site: Benton. Joshua. Joshua Benton. October 5, 2018. Here's how much Americans trust 38 major news organizations (hint: not all that much!). live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201208001945/https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/10/heres-how-much-americans-trust-38-major-news-organizations-hint-not-all-that-much/. December 8, 2020. August 10, 2021. Nieman Lab.
  35. Web site: Noah. Higgins-Dunn. April 22, 2020. NY attorney general orders InfoWars' Alex Jones to stop selling coronavirus 'treatment' products. March 12, 2020. CNBC. April 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417101223/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/12/ny-attorney-general-orders-alex-jones-to-stop-selling-coronavirus-cures.html. live.
  36. Web site: Leah. Rosenbaum. April 22, 2020. InfoWars Founder Alex Jones Must Stop Selling Fake Coronavirus Silver Cures, FDA Says. Forbes. April 28, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200428135718/https://www.forbes.com/sites/leahrosenbaum/2020/04/09/infowars-founder-alex-jones-must-stop-selling-fake-coronavirus-silver-cures-fda-says/. live.
  37. Web site: Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. April 22, 2020. Free Speech Systems LLC d.b.a. Infowars.com – 605802 – 04/09/2020. April 9, 2020. Food and Drug Administration. April 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200422003046/https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/free-speech-systems-llc-dba-infowarscom-605802-04092020. live.
  38. News: Griffing. Alexander. Remember When Donald Trump Appeared on Alex Jones' 'InfoWars'. Haaretz. August 6, 2018. March 1, 2017. April 20, 2022.
  39. News: Former Infowars staffers filed a formal complaint against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones alleging anti-Semitism, racism, and sexual misconduct. Business Insider. March 1, 2018. March 1, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180301041207/http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-jones-infowars-employees-complaint-about-sexual-harassment-2018-2. live.
  40. Web site: Alex Jones Accused of Sexual Harassment, Bullying at InfoWars. February 28, 2018. The Daily Beast. en. March 1, 2018. February 28, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180228235908/https://www.thedailybeast.com/alex-jones-accused-of-sexual-harassment-bullying-at-infowars. live.
  41. News: Jackman. Josh. Alex Jones 'groomed staff for homosexual sex,' lawsuit alleges. March 11, 2018. Pink News. March 1, 2018. March 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180311140902/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/03/01/alex-jones-groomed-staff-for-homosexual-sex-lawsuit-alleges/. live.
  42. News: Alex Jones accused of sexual harassment, racism and anti-Semitism. NY Daily News. March 26, 2018. en. March 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180327084341/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/alex-jones-accused-sexual-harassment-racism-anti-semitism-article-1.3848193. live.
  43. Web site: Facebook suspends US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. TheGuardian.com. July 27, 2018. July 27, 2018. July 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180727223532/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/27/facebook-suspends-us-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones. live.
  44. News: August 14, 2018 . Facebook, Apple, YouTube and Spotify ban Infowars' Alex Jones . The Guardian . August 14, 2018 . August 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180813204732/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/06/apple-removes-podcasts-infowars-alex-jones . live .
  45. News: Zhao . Christina . August 14, 2018 . Vimeo Removes Alex Jones's InfoWars Content: 'Discriminatory and Hateful' . Newsweek . August 14, 2018 . August 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180813130416/https://www.newsweek.com/vimeo-removes-alex-jones-infowars-profit-discriminatory-hateful-1070036 . live .
  46. Darcy, Oliver (February 5, 2019) "Facebook removes 22 more pages connected to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and InfoWars" CNN Business
  47. News: Beckett. Lois. Trump tweets support for far-right figures banned by Facebook. The Guardian. May 5, 2019. August 17, 2019. August 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190805211839/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/04/trump-facebook-far-right-bans-support-twitter. live.
  48. News: Morse . Jack . August 6, 2018 . InfoWars Pinterest page goes offline after Mashable inquiry . Mashable . August 14, 2018 . August 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180813235920/https://mashable.com/2018/08/06/infowars-pinterest-site-offline/ . live .
  49. News: Lomas . Natasha . August 7, 2018 . MailChimp bans Alex Jones for hateful conduct . Techcrunch . August 14, 2018 . August 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180813234124/https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/07/mailchimp-bans-alex-jones-for-hateful-conduct/ . live .
  50. News: Zhou . Marrian . August 7, 2018 . Alex Jones' Infowars removed from LinkedIn and MailChimp . CNET . August 14, 2018 . August 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180813235341/https://www.cnet.com/news/alex-jones-infowars-removed-linkedin-pinterest-still-up-on-instagram-twitter/ . live .
  51. Web site: Cappetta . Michael . Collins . Ben . 2019-05-02 . Alex Jones, Louis Farrakhan, others banned from Facebook and Instagram . 2024-05-06 . NBC News . en.
  52. Web site: June 29, 2020. Wikipedia Bans Right Wing Site Breitbart as a Source for Facts. Vice. Samantha. Cole. October 2, 2018. June 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200630124424/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pa9qvv/wikipedia-banned-breitbart-infowars. live.
  53. Web site: Alex Jones responds to his Twitter ban by posting a 13-minute video to Twitter. Vice News. August 15, 2018. August 15, 2018. August 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180815200613/https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/5944zn/alex-jones-twitter-ban-infowars. live.
  54. Web site: Twitter suspends conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for one week. CNN Money. August 15, 2018. August 15, 2018. August 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180815140243/https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/14/media/twitter-alex-jones/index.html. live.
  55. Web site: 2023-12-10 . Elon Musk restores conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' X account, reversing Twitter's ban . 2024-05-06 . PBS NewsHour . en-us.
  56. News: Apple Inc bans Alex Jones app for 'objectionable content'. Whitcomb. Dan. Reuters. September 8, 2018. September 8, 2018. en-US. July 23, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190723032211/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-infowars/apple-inc-bans-alex-jones-app-for-objectionable-content-idUSKCN1LO04G. live.
  57. News: PayPal Cuts Off Alex Jones's Infowars, Joining Other Tech Giants. Popper. Nathaniel. The New York Times. September 21, 2018. September 26, 2018. en-US. September 26, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180926094020/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/technology/paypal-blocks-infowars.html. live.
  58. News: Instagram and Facebook Ban Far-Right Extremists. Taylor Lorenz. The Atlantic. May 2, 2019. April 21, 2020. May 3, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190503004014/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/05/instagram-and-facebook-ban-far-right-extremists/588607/. live.
  59. Newman . Lily Hay . Google Bans Infowars Android App Over Coronavirus Claims . Wired . March 27, 2020 . March 29, 2020 . March 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200328102518/https://www.wired.com/story/google-bans-infowars-android-app-alex-jones-coronavirus/ . live .
  60. Web site: Squire . Megan . Hayden . Michael Edison . March 8, 2023 . 'Absolutely Bonkers': Inside Infowars' Money Machine . 2023-03-27 . . en . Jones' text messages suggest Jones and his collaborators sought to launder his Infowars content to social media sites that had banned it, while disguising its true origin. For example, the texts reveal that Jones created the junk-news website National File..
  61. Web site: Barr . Kyle . 2023-03-17 . Alex Jones' Alleged Secret Site Gets Around Social Media Bans . 2023-03-27 . . en . In leaked texts shared earlier this month by the Southern Poverty Law Center between him and well-known Republican operative Roger Stone in 2020, Jones said "off record this is my site" in relation to National File..
  62. Web site: I watched Alex Jones give his viewers health advice. Here's what I learned. . Vox.com . April 6, 2017 . December 28, 2017 . January 5, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180105230636/https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/4/6/15160486/alex-jones-vaccines-autism-gates-fungus-health-conspiracy-theories . live .
  63. News: Hayden . Michael Edison . Alt-right conspiracy theories blame Antifa for the mass shooting in Las Vegas . February 9, 2018 . Newsweek . October 3, 2017 . en . October 5, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171005120840/http://www.newsweek.com/alt-right-conspiracy-theories-blame-antifa-mass-shooting-las-vegas-677075 . live .
  64. News: Alex Jones' Mis-Infowars: 7 Bat-Shit Conspiracy Theories . December 30, 2017 . December 30, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171230225842/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/lists/alex-jones-mis-infowars-7-bat-sht-conspiracy-theories-w467509/former-fox-news-host-glenn-beck-is-a-cia-operative-w468041 . live .
  65. News: Alex Jones says 9/11, the Sandy Hook shooting and the Boston Marathon bombing were "false flag" operations . June 16, 2017 . Newsweek . December 30, 2017 . en . December 30, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171230172403/http://www.newsweek.com/who-alex-jones-his-top-five-conspiracy-theories-ahead-nbc-megyn-kelly-626633 . live .
  66. News: Las Vegas Massacre Gives InfoWars More Conspiracy Fodder . Grynbaum . Michael M. . October 9, 2017 . The New York Times . December 30, 2017 . 0362-4331 . February 14, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180214191248/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/business/media/las-vegas-massacre-infowars-conspiracy.html . live .
  67. News: Donald Trump and the "Amazing" Alex Jones . Finnegan . William . June 23, 2016 . The New Yorker . December 30, 2017 . 0028-792X . December 29, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171229102831/https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/donald-trump-and-the-amazing-alex-jones . live .
  68. News: No, Armed Protests Are Not Normal in Austin . December 30, 2017 . en-US . December 30, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171230172312/https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2014-03-12/no-armed-protests-are-not-normal-in-austin/ . live .
  69. Web site: Don't get fooled by these fake news sites . . February 10, 2017 . January 2, 2018 . March 4, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180304061636/https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/dont-get-fooled-by-these-fake-news-sites/4/ . live .
  70. News: Fake news itself, not just Alex Jones, is on trial in his custody case . Rob . Crilly . The Telegraph . April 18, 2017 . The Daily Telegraph . April 6, 2018 . April 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180413134806/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/18/fake-news-not-just-alex-jones-trial-custody-case/ . live .
  71. Web site: Kuznia . Rob . Devine . Curt . Black . Nelli . June 2022 . The Alex Jones-ification of the GOP . 2022-06-13 . www.cnn.com.
  72. Web site: The FBI are 'investigating the role of Breitbart in spreading fake news with bots' . . March 21, 2017 . January 29, 2018 . February 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180222165508/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/fbi-breitbart-investigate-alt-right-wing-websites-fake-news-bots-donald-trump-a7641826.html . live .
  73. Web site: Lytvynenko . Jane . InfoWars Has Republished More Than 1,000 Articles From RT Without Permission . . November 8, 2017 . December 31, 2017 . January 1, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180101062636/https://www.buzzfeed.com/janelytvynenko/infowars-is-running-rt-content . live .
  74. News: Link . Taylor . Infowars peddled stories from a Russian propaganda outlet for years . September 16, 2018 . . November 9, 2017 . September 16, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180916193626/https://www.salon.com/2017/11/09/infowars-peddled-stories-from-a-russian-propaganda-outlet-for-years/ . live .
  75. Web site: Alex Jones doubles down on 'completely fake' Sandy Hook claims . Daily News . November 18, 2016 . New York . December 29, 2017 . March 3, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170303201639/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/alex-jones-doubles-completely-fake-sandy-hook-claims-article-1.2878305 . live .
  76. Web site: Alex Jones, 'InfoWars' host, sued by 6 more Sandy Hook families . Aaron Cooper . . May 24, 2018 . May 26, 2018 . June 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194151/https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/23/us/alex-jones-sandy-hook-suit/index.html . live .
  77. Web site: US shock jock Alex Jones sued by six more families of Sandy Hook victims . Emily Shugerman . . May 25, 2018 . May 26, 2018 . September 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180922203614/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/alex-jones-sued-sandy-hook-victims-families-defamation-infowars-a8368346.html . live .
  78. Web site: Sandy Hook families suing Alex Jones aren't the only ones to threaten conspiracy theorist . Josh Hafner . . May 23, 2018 . May 26, 2018 . September 29, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180929032647/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/05/24/sandy-hook-families-sue-infowars-alex-jones-over-conspiracy-theory/641159002/ . live .
  79. Web site: More families of Sandy Hook victims, FBI agent sue Infowars Alex Jones . Dave Collins . . May 23, 2018 . May 26, 2018 . November 1, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181101084709/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-sandy-hook-alex-jones-lawsuit-20180523-story.html . live .
  80. News: Will. Sommer. January 1, 2020. Alex Jones and Infowars Ordered to Pay $100K in Court Costs for Sandy Hook Case. December 31, 2019. The Daily Beast. January 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200101012601/https://www.thedailybeast.com/alex-jones-and-infowars-ordered-to-pay-dollar100k-in-court-costs-for-sandy-hook-case. live.
  81. News: Neil. Vigdor. January 1, 2020. Judge Orders Alex Jones and Infowars to Pay $100,000 in Sandy Hook Legal Fees. The New York Times. December 31, 2019. 0362-4331. January 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200101012602/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/31/us/Alex-Jones-sandy-hook.html. live.
  82. Web site: Collins . Dave . 2022-06-02 . Infowars agrees to end bankruptcy after Sandy Hook deal . 2022-06-11 . AP NEWS . en.
  83. News: YouTube Pulls Alex Jones Video Saying Parkland Victims Were Actors . Fortune . February 28, 2018 . en . February 28, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180228180142/http://fortune.com/2018/02/24/youtube-pulls-alex-jones-infowars-video/ . live .
  84. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code . Chapter . 73. Libel . June 14, 2013 . 4. Liability in Tort . Title . September 7, 2018 . September 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180907221540/https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.73.htm . live .
  85. Web site: Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones Apologizes For Promoting Comet Ping Pong 'Pizzagate' Fabrication . James Doubek . March 26, 2017 . NPR . December 29, 2017 . December 29, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171229080432/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/26/521545788/conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-apologizes-for-promoting-pizzagate . live .
  86. Web site: How Austin's East Side Pies became target of fake #pizzagate . Matthew Odam . December 7, 2017 . Austin American-Statesman . December 28, 2017 . December 7, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161207225002/http://www.mystatesman.com/news/crime--law/how-austin-east-side-pies-became-target-fake-pizzagate/jQJtrr2xVIMNmpWc0IOW5O/ . live .
  87. Web site: Rozsa . Matthew . 2017-04-25 . Chobani sues Alex Jones after Infowars host links yogurt company's welcoming of refugees to Idaho violence . 2024-06-23 . Salon . en.
  88. Web site: Darcy . Oliver . 2019-03-04 . Jerome Corsi retracts InfoWars story that spread Seth Rich conspiracy theory CNN Business . 2024-06-23 . CNN . en.
  89. Kroll . Andy . 2019-03-04 . Pro-Trump Conspiracy Peddler Jerome Corsi Apologizes to Seth Rich's Family . 2024-06-23 . Rolling Stone . en-US.
  90. News: Brown . Seth . Alex Jones's Media Empire Is a Machine Built to Sell Snake-Oil Diet Supplements . September 9, 2018 . . May 4, 2017 . October 10, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181010055727/http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/05/how-does-alex-jones-make-money.html . live .
  91. Web site: Sietz-Wald . Alex . Alex Jones: Conspiracy Inc. . . September 9, 2018 . May 2, 2013 . December 11, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201211141446/https://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/alex_jones_conspiracy_inc/ . live .
  92. Andrew. Marantz. April 22, 2020. Alex Jones's Bogus Coronavirus Cures. The New Yorker. April 6, 2020. April 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200419234934/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/06/alex-jones-bogus-coronavirus-cures. live.
  93. News: Warzel . Charlie . Alex Jones Just Can't Help Himself . . . September 9, 2018 . May 3, 2017 . September 9, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180909221928/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/charliewarzel/alex-jones-will-never-stop-being-alex-jones . live .
  94. News: Alex Jones' Infowars files for bankruptcy in wake of defamation suits over his assertions that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax. CBS News. April 18, 2022. April 18, 2022.
  95. News: Alex Jones' InfoWars files for bankruptcy in U.S. court. Reuters. April 18, 2022. April 18, 2022.
  96. Web site: Visser . Nick . 2024-06-24 . Alex Jones' Bankruptcy Trustee Plans To Shutter Infowars And 'Liquidate Its Inventory' . 2024-06-26 . HuffPost . en.
  97. News: Bankruptcy trustee discloses plan to shut down Alex Jones' Infowars and liquidate assets. Associated Press. Dave. Collins. June 24, 2024. June 26, 2024.
  98. Web site: Milo Yiannopoulos to Tomi Lahren: the faces of America's young alt-Right pack . London Evening Standard . December 8, 2016 . December 15, 2017 . December 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171215112956/https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/from-milo-yiannopoulos-to-tomi-lahren-meet-the-faces-of-americas-young-altright-pack-a3415301.html . live .

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