In a surprising turn of events, the satirical website The Onion has acquired control of the controversial far-right site InfoWars through a bankruptcy auction with the assistance of the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. The Onion, known for its humorous fake news stories, plans to rebrand InfoWars as a parody of itself and aims to mock individuals like Alex Jones, the founder of InfoWars, who recently lost a $1.4 billion defamation suit to the families of Sandy Hook victims.
The gun control organization Everytown for Gun Safety will be advertising on the revamped site, which was auctioned off following a court ruling that allowed the assets to be used to pay off the defamation suit against Jones. Despite the large sum awarded in the suit, it is unlikely that the families will receive the full amount due to the substantial nature of the judgment.
Jones, who has faced legal battles over his claims that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax, filed for bankruptcy reorganization following the lawsuits. The acquisition of InfoWars by The Onion has been met with support from the Sandy Hook families, who are pleased to see Jones off the air and InfoWars shut down in its current form.
While the financial details of the acquisition are unclear, The Onion's CEO Ben Collins expressed excitement about the purchase and promised to make the site "very funny" and "very stupid." Jones, on the other hand, condemned the move as an attack on free speech and vowed to continue broadcasting until he is forced to stop.
Overall, the acquisition of InfoWars by The Onion has stirred controversy and mixed reactions, with some viewing it as a victory for satire and others as a threat to free speech.