What goes around comes around
In the week or so that has passed since Donald Trump claimed a victory on Election Day, already he has done so much that seems like it could be a joke. Naming Matt Gaetz as his Attorney General pick and Pete Hegseth to run the Department of Defense are just two egregious examples. However, here is something that happened that may seem like a joke for another reason but, fortunately, is all true.
Alex Jones’s InfoWars, known for its outrageous and hurtful lies claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting was a hoax, will soon be the property of The Onion. Yes, the satirical news site has announced it won the bidding in an auction that followed Jones’s bankruptcy as he unsuccessfully fought back against defamation and emotional distress lawsuits from the families of Sandy Hook victims, claiming they were “crisis actors” in a staged incident.
Onion CEO Ben Collins on Thursday posted on Bluesky that his company is “planning on making it a very funny, very stupid website” and that he “can’t wait to show you what we have cooked up.” In an interview this week with the New York Times, Collins added that The Onion aims to “reintroduce” Infowars to the public in January and specifically mock “weird Internet personalities” like Jones.
The terms of the deal are undisclosed, but The Onion ultimately succeeded thanks to a “credit bid,” which involved a pledge by Sandy Hook families who sued Jones to at least temporarily forgo collecting on a portion of damages. Plans for the revamped InfoWars would include banner ads and sponsored articles from Everytown for Gun Safety, a local nonprofit organization focused on ending gun violence.
In a week full of upsetting, disturbing, and frightening news, this InfoWars development shines as a bright star in a dark, cloudy sky. It’s also a much-needed reminder that even in the most challenging times, there are many people committed to making positive change. There is no question that the road ahead will be difficult, but there will be countless opportunities over the next four years to right wrongs, reclaim progress, and reorient the nation toward a brighter and more hopeful future.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month