InfoWars

For the film, see Info Wars (film).

InfoWars
Type of site
Available inEnglish
OwnerFree Speech Systems, LLC
URLinfowars.com
RegistrationNone
LaunchedMarch 6, 1999; 25 years ago (1999-03-06)[4]
Current statusActive

InfoWars is an American far-right[2] conspiracy theory[3] and fake news website[1] created by Alex Jones.[36][37] It was founded in 1999, and operated under Free Speech Systems LLC.

Talk shows and other content for the site were created primarily in studios at an undisclosed location in an industrial area in the outskirts of Austin, Texas.[38] Reports in 2017 stated that the InfoWars website received approximately 10 million monthly visits, making its reach greater than some mainstream news websites such as The Economist and Newsweek at the time.[39][40] The site regularly published fake stories linked to harassment of victims.[47] In February 2018, Jones, the publisher, director and owner of InfoWars, was accused of discrimination and sexual harassment of employees.[48] InfoWars, and in particular Jones, advocated numerous conspiracy theories, particularly around purported domestic false flag operations by the U.S. government (which they allege include the 9/11 attack and Sandy Hook shooting). InfoWars issued retractions various times as a result of legal challenges.[43][44] Jones has had contentious material removed, and has also been suspended and banned from many platforms for violating their terms of service, including Facebook,[49] Twitter,[50] YouTube,[51] iTunes,[52] and Roku.[53]

InfoWars earned most of its revenue from direct sales of products pitched by Jones, which initially consisted of videos and later included survivalist products and branded merchandise, but shifted primarily to dietary supplements by the late 2010s.[54][55][56] Jones also staged direct-donation telethons called "money bombs" although InfoWars was not a nonprofit organization.[57]

On July 30, 2022, amidst a $150 million lawsuit brought against Jones and InfoWars by Sandy Hook families, Free Speech Systems filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[58] On September 24, 2024, a Houston bankruptcy judge ordered the liquidation of InfoWars and Free Speech Systems at two auctions to be held later that year.[59][60] On November 14, it was announced that Global Tetrahedron—publishers of the news satire publication The Onion—had acquired the assets of InfoWars, with plans to temporarily shut it down and relaunch it in 2025 as a satirical news website; however, the original website was restored by Jones the next day after his lawyers alleged irregularities in the auction, and the bankruptcy judge put the sale on hold.

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  7. ^ a b c Zeng, Jing; Schäfer, Mike S. (October 21, 2021). "Conceptualizing "Dark Platforms". Covid-19-Related Conspiracy Theories on 8kun and Gab". Digital Journalism. 9 (9). Routledge: 1321–1343. doi:10.1080/21670811.2021.1938165. In contrast, Gab users who shared more far-right "fake news" websites are relatively more visible on Gab. Some of the most cited sources under this category include the Unhived Mind (N = 2,729), Epoch Times (N = 1,303), Natural News (N = 1,301), Breitbart (N = 769), the Gateway Pundit (N = 422), and InfoWars (N = 656).
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  21. ^ Winter, Aaron (2019). "Online Hate: From the Far-Right to the 'Alt-Right' and from the Margins to the Mainstream" (PDF). Online Othering. Springer International Publishing. pp. 39–63. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-12633-9_2. ISBN 978-3-030-12632-2. S2CID 159264406. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2020 – via ResearchGate.
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  43. ^ a b Wattles, Jackie (May 17, 2017). "InfoWars' Alex Jones apologizes for saying Chobani supports 'migrant rapists'". CNNMoney. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  44. ^ a b Montero, David (May 17, 2017). "Alex Jones settles Chobani lawsuit and retracts comments about refugees in Twin Falls, Idaho". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
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  47. ^ [41][42][43][44][45][46]
  48. ^ Pink, Aiden (March 1, 2018). "Alex Jones Accused Of Anti-Semitism, Sexual Harassment". The Forward. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
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  50. ^ "Twitter permanently bans Alex Jones and Infowars". CBS News. September 6, 2018. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  51. ^ "YouTube removes 'hate speech' videos from InfoWars" Archived July 26, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. BBC News.
  52. ^ Riley, Charles (August 6, 2018). "YouTube, Apple and Facebook remove content from InfoWars and Alex Jones". CNN Money. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  53. ^ "Roku U-turn over streaming Alex Jones's InfoWars". BBC News. January 16, 2019. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
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  55. ^ Williamson, Elizabeth; Steel, Emily (September 7, 2018). "Conspiracy Theories Made Alex Jones Very Rich. They May Bring Him Down". The New York Times. The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
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  58. ^ Melhado, William (July 30, 2022). "Alex Jones' company files for bankruptcy midway through Sandy Hook damages trial". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
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