Congrats to Alex Jones for becoming the subject of a new HBO documentary from the director of Leaving Neverland and Four Hours at the Capital. Jones’ villainy puts him in the company of Michael Jackson and the entirety of the January 6 insurrection.
What an honor, truly, for Alex Jones and his big, fat lies to get the HBO documentary treatment. The Truth vs. Alex Jones specifically centers on Jones’ exceptionally horrible lies about the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, which the conservative fear-monger and noted conspiracy theorist claimed was actually a hoax. As highlighted in the trailer for director Dan Reed’s latest documentary, Jones began spreading lies about Sandy Hook on December 14—the day of the shooting, when 20 children and six adults were killed.
For a more detailed refresher on Alex Jones’ lies and the righteous lawsuit brought against him by the real parents of real children who were murdered at Sandy Hook, you can read HBO’s synopsis for The Truth vs. Alex Jones:
Filmed over four years with unprecedented access, THE TRUTH VS. ALEX JONES chronicles the riveting courtroom drama of two defamation lawsuits brought by Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims’ families against Alex Jones and his website, InfoWars. While exploring the scope and ripple effects of Jones’ brand of conspiracy-minded media, the film follows the families’ legal efforts to hold him accountable for spreading lies about them and their children. The cases culminate in a historic award of nearly $1.5 billion in damages, followed by Jones declaring bankruptcy.
In December 2012, on the day of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown CT, where 20 children and six adults were killed, Alex Jones began raising questions about the veracity of the attack. His denial of the murders and further fabrications about a government coverup turbocharged traffic to his site, generating millions of dollars in advertising revenue. Jones would go on to share lies about the incident with his millions of viewers for years to come. Filmed over multiple years with the intimate participation of the parents who sued Jones for defamation, their legal teams, a defense attorney representing Jones and unprecedented courtroom trial access, the documentary tracks the families’ battle for truth and accountability following years of painful myths about the tragedy disseminated by Jones and his followers.
Bringing Jones to trial in Texas and Connecticut involved years of effort by grieving parents and their legal teams and culminated in two default judgements of liability after Jones’ team declined to comply with discovery and other court orders. In each state, jury trials were then convened to determine damages. Jones attended the two-week-long Texas trial and took the stand to testify, as did the mother and father of one of the children killed that day. The result of both trials was a combined awarding of nearly $1.5 billion to the families, the largest award for damages in a defamation case in United States history. Jones’ declaration of bankruptcy shortly afterward may thwart the ability of the plaintiffs to recover those damages, but the historic legal precedent remains a significant milestone in holding to account those who spread disinformation. Â
The Truth vs. Alex Jones premieres on March 26 on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
(featured image: HBO)
