The satirical news outlet The Onion announced that it has purchased Infowars at auction from Alex Jones.
The outlet was put on auction as part of Jones’ repayment to the families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The families won a $1.5 billion lawsuit against Jones who repeatedly called the massacre of students and teachers a “hoax.”
Bryce P. Tetraeder, CEO of the Onion’s parent company Global Tetrahedron, made the announcement on Thursday.
“Today we celebrate a new addition to the Global Tetrahedron LLC family of brands,” he wrote in a cheeky post. “And let me say, I really do see it as a family. Much like family members, our brands are abstract nodes of wealth, interchangeable assets for their patriarch to absorb and discard according to the opaque whims of the market. And just like family members, our brands regard one another with mutual suspicion and malice.”
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Everytown for Gun Safety, which was formed by family members of the Sandy Hook shooting, celebrated the Onion’s announcement. The group said it would partner with the Onion in providing content.
“We're excited to join them as they turn the page on this toxic chapter of misinformation and begin the next chapter of InfoWars, turning it into a tool to combat disinformation and extremism through humor,” the group said. “Not only will this new venture staunch the flow of hurtful misinformation, but it also holds significant potential for us to reach new audiences in the fight for gun safety.”
Jones’ Infowars often spread conspiracy theories, like the Sandy Hook shooting. He also infamously used the platform to sell supplements and other medicines.
“As for the vitamins and supplements, we are halting their sale immediately. Utilitarian logic dictates that if we can extend even one CEO’s life by 10 minutes, diluting these miracle elixirs for public consumption is an unethical waste,” Tetraeder wrote.
