Recently, the well-known Onion satirical news organization has been brought to the front page after winning a bidding war to buy storm center owned by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones called Infowars unsurprisingly gaining Infowars through a bankruptcy auction has raised eyebrows with bringing aims that she brings Infowars into irrelevance but turning it into a bankrupt through parody. But before the deal was finalized, the bankruptcy court stepped in imposed a stay on the implementation of the deal. A hearing surrounding the sale in general is set for next week.
Fully Fueled By Sandy Hook Families: A Symbolic Deal.
Onion intends to bid not only as a business strategy but also to display sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives during the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School For The Defenceless. In 2022, these families won an unprecedented level of defamation lawsuit Miracle for 1.4 billion US dollars against Jones due to his claims regarding the massacre being staged. Their support of onion’s bid and gulf funding suggests they are in favor of satire to counter and parody dangerous conspiracy theories. . Ben Collins parent company of The Onion under Global Tetrahedron stated that the point of his company would be launching infowars where the point would be to show modern misinformation systems and the offensive nature of turning simple ideas into conspiracy theories.
Collins, during an interview, remarked that this deal will enable The Onion to inject laughter into a space, which is largely used to jest harmful and unsupported claims. For instance, Collins recalled the families stating that they regarded it as a great practical joke and that it was important to use humor or mockery to defuse dangerous elements. In January, Infowars is scheduled to be released again, this time in a comical way, making fun of the various internet figures that profit from spreading lies, and sell fake health remedies.
Change in direction for Infowars: transformation from conspiracy theories to comedy skits.
The winning bid is an interesting change for Infowars who for many years has been at the forefront of conspiracy theories and problematic information. Infowars was set up by Alex Jones as a medium for cynical people who do not consume the traditional narrative. Instead of giving room to toxic theories, under the guidance of The Onion, Infowars will aim to mock the very idea of a conspiracy. Prominent antagonists of the revival will include Jones himself and others who prey on trusting audiences with fake but enticing claims.
Nevertheless, Jones has already expressed his reservations. The attorneys for Jones, as well as the firm that bid $3.5 million for the website, appeared to contest the legitimacy of the site sale auction. This caused the court to scrutinize the offering and conduct a hearing to resolve the issue.
Assets Which the Acquisition Entails
The winning bid submitted by The Onion includes additional assets such as social media accounts, a studio located in Austin, Texas, trademarks, a video archive, and other resources including the Infowars web page all of which fall under assets belonging to Infowars. Infowars was closed down shortly after the announcement, with Jones setting up shop at a different venue. If the deal goes through, Infowars will be fully absorbed into The Onion, which means that the editors will have a basis for launching their absurdistic humor in new directions.
For Collins, this purchase goes with a larger plan of putting the alternative media and the internet’s influencers in check for conspiracy theories and distortion of facts. Collins reiterated that the new focus of Infowars would not be solely on Jones but would seek to attack other significant players in the disinformation sphere. “There’s a whole world of podcasters and social media influencers spreading questionable narratives,” Collins said, admitting that most of them have huge followers.
Satire with a Purpose: Keeping Alternative Media in Check
The Onion’s purchase is designed to place all those who advance conspiracy theories for profit on notice. With such a move, The Onion intends to ridicule Infowars by turning it into a satire so that people can appreciate the senselessness of such claims that overrun these alternative news and social media outlets. Collins pointed out that many “alternative media” figures seem to operate without supervision or control and that their audience numbers are sometimes equal to those of mainstream stars. Bid for this Onion hopes to achieve growth of sense of responsibility through humor, showing the pathos of sensationalism and unsupported statements.
Collins explains that “The Onion has every intention of ridiculing Mr. Jones but that is not all. Collins stood out that a majority of ‘alternative media’ figures appear to be uncontrolled and their follower number is at times equal to that of mainstream stars. This form of satire will enable the Onion to call the attention on the hitherto unbridled power and influence of other memetic and alternative media personalities intending to shape the audience.
Final Decision Pending: Court Hearing to Determine Outcome
A cloud of uncertainty now hangs over the fate of Infowars under The Onion, following the court’s ruling. On the other hand, the judge’s ruling next week will determine if The Onion is able to carry on with the plans of buying the assets and thereafter changing the platform according to the plan. I tell you, the stakes are high, because this acquisition amounts to a moral victory of satire on fake news and this acquisition means an entirely new slant in the way imaginary media can be manufactured.
Against this backdrop of disinformation networks, The Onion and Infowars collaboration is probably the best that could demonstrate the potential of comedy and satire in battling disinformation and exposing its perverse power. Successful as it may be, Infowars will be a completely new type of platform that will target audiences with an intent of ridiculing conspiracy-based media, which is in contrast to what is planned about The Onion.