‘What a terrible judge:’ US Court rejects InfoWars buyout by The Onion
The internet’s “got you moment” has been blocked in court, as The Onion’s auction bid for far-right conspiracy news outlet InfoWars has been rejected by a judge.
Judge Christopher Lopez, the bankruptcy judge, believed that the sale “simply did not maximize value in any way.” Although he acknowledged that parties acted in good faith, there was more potential for profit. Not even the bid by The Onion that was valued at $7 million was enough.
Social media users were disappointed by the outcome. The Onion as a media outlet is known for producing satire. One Twitter user wrote, “What a terrible judge.” Others note that they needed this sale to push through “for the memes.” After all, satirizing an outlet formerly known for spreading misinformation would seem like retributive justice. The Onion CEO Ben Collins also intended to relaunch InfoWars as a satirical website aimed at conspiracy theorists. Truly, this decision was a loss for meme culture.
Nevertheless, Collins has not given up on the purchase. In a statement, he said, “We will also continue to seek a path to purchase InfoWars in the coming weeks. It is part of our larger mission to make a better, funnier internet, regardless of the outcome of this case.”
A cause beyond the memes
For those who’ve been directly affected by the false narratives perpetrated by InfoWars, the bid to buy the outlet wasn’t done just for giggles. Alex Jones, the owner of InfoWars, had repeatedly denied that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting incident occurred. Through InfoWars, Jones spread various false claims about Sandy Hook shooting victims and the tragedy itself.
Jones underwent a long legal battle against the surviving relatives of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting incident. The Conneticut families of the victims sued for defamation, and Jones was held liable. He owes the families more than $1.4 billion in damages and has gone bankrupt. This led to the sale of Free Speech Systems, Jones’ media company, which would partly pay off what he owed the families he disparaged.
The Sandy Hook families didn’t just support The Onion’s move to buy InfoWars. Rather, they deliberately backed it—all for the sake of justice.
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