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is taking possession of a far more insidious one.</div> <div class="simple-bylinerow"> <div class="simple-byline"> <div class="simple-bylineauthor"> <span class="simple-bylineauthor-by">By </span><span class="bylineauthorname"><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/author/jbenton/" title="Posts by Joshua Benton" class="author url fn" rel="author">Joshua Benton</a></span> <span class="simple-bylinetwitter" style="display: inline-block; margin-left: 20px; color: lightgrey; text-transform: none; font-weight: normal;"><a style="color: #999;" href="https://twitter.com/jbenton">@jbenton</a></span> <span class="simple-bylinedate" style="display: inline; margin-left: 20px; color: #999; text-transform: none; font-weight: normal;">Nov. 14, 2024, 2:34 p.m.</span> <a class="simple-bylineedit" href=""><i class="fa fa-pencil-square-o"></i></a> </div> <!-- <div class="simple-post-sharingline"> <div class="simple-post-twitterbutton"> <a href="https://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-url="https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself/" data-counturl="https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself/" data-text="The Onion adds a new layer, buying Alex Jones&#8217; 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color: white !important; }</style> <a style="text-decoration: none;" href="/email-this/?post_id=232771" onclick="window.open('/email-this/?post_id=232771', 'email', 'status=0,height=700,width=514'); return false"><div class="emailarticlebutton" style="height: 17px; width: 46px; padding-top: 1px; border: 1px solid lightgrey; background: whitesmoke; color: #666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; -moz-border-radius: 3px; border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; font-family: Lucida Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Email</div></a> </div> </div> --> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <div class="simple-byline-hiddendate" style="DISPLAY: NONE; clear: both; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 14px; padding-bottom: 15px;"> Nov. 14, 2024, 2:34 p.m.</div> </div> </div> <div class="simple-skinnyleft"> <a class="tweetcountwrapper" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.niemanlab.org%2F2024%2F11%2Fthe-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself%2F&related=jbenton&text=The+Onion+adds+a+new+layer%2C+buying+Alex+Jones%E2%80%99+Infowars+and+turning+it+into+a+parody+of+itself&tw_p=tweetbutton&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.niemanlab.org%2F2024%2F11%2Fthe-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself%2F"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i></a> <a class="facebookcountwrapper" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself/" onclick="window.open('https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself/', 'facebook', 'status=0,height=370,width=640'); return false"><i class="fa fa-facebook"></i></a> <a class="linkedincountwrapper" target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.niemanlab.org%2F2024%2F11%2Fthe-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself%2F&name=The+Onion+adds+a+new+layer%2C+buying+Alex+Jones%E2%80%99+Infowars+and+turning+it+into+a+parody+of+itself"><i class="fa fa-linkedin"></i></a> </div> <div class="simple-body"> <div id="content_div-232771"> <p>Maybe it&#8217;s not such an odd pairing? </p> <p>After all, <a href="https://theonion.com/">The Onion</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfoWars">Infowars</a> both publish a lot of fake information. Both are known for their <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&#038;lr=&#038;id=GdKqFyGv-EYC&#038;oi=fnd&#038;pg=PA95&#038;dq=%22the+onion%22+9/11&#038;ots=tFaU5uYOcA&#038;sig=sgnb6q2JkEDIfdhQUzvpqWJFzV8#v=onepage&#038;q=%22the%20onion%22%209%2F11&#038;f=false">coverage</a> of <a href="https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&#038;context=rhetoric-faculty-publications">national</a> <a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-connecticut-alex-jones-waterbury-f3ef318375efc40dccc7067fb8f53e5e">tragedies</a>. They both reach audiences who want to have a laugh at a world being presented to them through a very particular lens. Both have been the subject of a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&#038;as_sdt=0%2C22&#038;q=%22the+onion%22+satire&#038;btnG=">remarkable amount</a> of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&#038;as_sdt=0%2C22&#038;q=infowars+%22alex+jones%22&#038;btnG=">academic research</a> into their unique roles in the modern information ecosystem. (Though usually with different tones; compare &#8220;<a href="https://online.ucpress.edu/nr/article-abstract/19/2/83/71163/Silver-Bullets-and-Seed-BanksA-Material-Analysis">Silver Bullets and Seed Banks: A Material Analysis of Conspiracist Millennialism</a>&#8221; and &#8220;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07350198.2016.1215000">Peeling The Onion: Satire and the Complexity of Audience Response</a>.&#8221;)<sup><a href="#footnote_0_232771" id="identifier_0_232771" class="footnote-link footnote-identifier-link" title="Other fun-looking titles: &ldquo;Stop Eating The Onion! How to Best Reduce Satire-Based Misperceptions&ldquo;; &ldquo;Rooting for the Truth in Humor: The Onion&rsquo;s Media and Cultural Satire&ldquo;; &ldquo;Pretend News, False News, Fake News: The Onion as Put-On, Prank, and Legend&ldquo;; &ldquo;Of Lizards and Ideological Entrepreneurs: Alex Jones and Infowars in the Relationship Between Populist Nationalism and the Post-Global Media Ecology&ldquo;; &ldquo;&lsquo;The Most Paranoid Man in America&rsquo;: Alex Jones as Celebrity Populist&ldquo;; and the clear winner, &ldquo;Theorizing the Gay Frog.&rdquo;">1</a></sup> And each has shown <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/us/juror-questions.html">interest</a> in the <a href="https://theonion.com/my-bloodline-would-mix-well-with-that-of-an-advanced-re-1819584319/">role</a> of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-news-source-alien-lizards-fluoride-mind-control-and-voter-fraud/2016/11/28/c0326c26-b5a0-11e6-b8df-600bd9d38a02_story.html">lizards</a> in <a href="https://theonion.com/james-garfield-americas-forgotten-lizard-man-president-1819585823/">governance</a>.</p> <p>Either way, the satire site <a href="https://theonion.com/">The Onion</a> is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/business/media/alex-jones-infowars-the-onion.html">now the owner</a> of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/business/media/las-vegas-massacre-infowars-conspiracy.html">Infowars</a>, arguably the 21st century&#8217;s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/us/politics/alex-jones-business-infowars-conspiracy.html">premiere distributors of misinformation and conspiratorial thinking</a> (&#8220;thinking&#8221;). Infowars was sold at <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/11/14/infowars-auction-alex-jones-sandy-hook-the-onion/">court-ordered auction</a> after a jury ordered its owner, Alex Jones, to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/06/14/alex-jones-infowars-sandy-hook-liquidate/">pay more than $1 billion in damages</a> for just one of his many lies — claiming the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting">mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School</a> was a hoax.</p> <p>In a sense, it&#8217;s a union of two generational exemplars of &#8220;fake news,&#8221; that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/09/style/2004-when-fake-news-was-cool.html">uniquely unhelpful term</a>. Before 2016, &#8220;<a href="https://time.com/archive/6595197/the-onions-new-fake-news-show/">fake</a> <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/g1573/onion-versus-daily-show-war/">news</a>&#8221; was a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17804342">term</a> most associated with The Onion, Jon Stewart&#8217;s &#8220;The Daily Show,&#8221; and a few other entities that used the <a href="https://mitp.silverchair.com/books/edited-volume/4625/chapter-abstract/212117/All-Fake-News-Is-Not-Equal?redirectedFrom=PDF">trappings</a> of news product (a print newspaper, a nightly newscast) to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Onion-Philosophy-Alleges-Indignant-Professor/dp/0812696875">house</a> satire, comedy, and commentary. Donald Trump changed all that — first, by using &#8220;fake news&#8221; to describe journalism he didn&#8217;t like, and then by <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07761-2">prompting</a> <a href="https://faculty.lsu.edu/fakenews/elections/sixteen.php">academics</a> to use the term for <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&#038;as_sdt=0%2C22&#038;q=%22the+onion%22+%22fake+news%22&#038;btnG=">misinformation and conspiracy publishers</a> like, well, Infowars. Now, both types will share an HR department.</p> <p>The price has not been disclosed. The <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/bencollins.bsky.social/post/3law7zmt6522x">Infowars assets</a> include its domain name, archives, and production equipment — even lists of customers who&#8217;ve bought Jones&#8217; <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/6dhtbb/never_forget_alex_jones_once_posted_before_and/">body-transforming</a> line of ersatz supplements. Oh, and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/bencollins.bsky.social/post/3lawdnw4fqk2s">Alex Jones&#8217; desk</a>. Maybe <em>this</em> is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Dumb_Century">our dumb century</a>?</p> <p>Hilariously, the deal seems to have had roots on Bluesky, where in June a user named @ceej.online noted the upcoming sale of Infowars assets and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mm5ebihpjvtrdunomulbls5m/post/3kuckhal6ks2d">suggested Onion CEO Ben Collins</a> had &#8220;the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever.&#8221;</p> <blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:mm5ebihpjvtrdunomulbls5m/app.bsky.feed.post/3kuckhal6ks2d" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreieurqs6jxtk3rw4huguq37na2kpr5sezxfdhzghedm6peipcbzwee"> <p lang="en">Ben Collins has the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever</p> <p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mm5ebihpjvtrdunomulbls5m/post/3kuckhal6ks2d?ref_src=embed">[image or embed]</a></p> <p>&mdash; ceej (<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mm5ebihpjvtrdunomulbls5m?ref_src=embed">@ceej.online</a>) <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mm5ebihpjvtrdunomulbls5m/post/3kuckhal6ks2d?ref_src=embed">June 6, 2024 at 11:07 PM</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:x4qyokjtdzgl7gmqhsw4ajqj/app.bsky.feed.post/3kuclxsix6c24" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreianscdtkh233sctim7ajp6fbd4clkk5umzav56bmlolri4l7issru"> <p lang="en"> <p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:x4qyokjtdzgl7gmqhsw4ajqj/post/3kuclxsix6c24?ref_src=embed">[image or embed]</a></p> <p>&mdash; Tim Onion (<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:x4qyokjtdzgl7gmqhsw4ajqj?ref_src=embed">@bencollins.bsky.social</a>) <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:x4qyokjtdzgl7gmqhsw4ajqj/post/3kuclxsix6c24?ref_src=embed">June 6, 2024 at 11:34 PM</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:x4qyokjtdzgl7gmqhsw4ajqj/app.bsky.feed.post/3law3ikwies22" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreia2z4v4e7f7cizw7kwh3qqigz2hsphx463bpaevwe55hvsyvwv2ae"> <p lang="en">Also, part of the reason we did bought InfoWars is because people on Bluesky told us it would be funny to buy InfoWars. And those people were right. This is the funniest thing that has ever happened.</p> <p>&mdash; Tim Onion (<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:x4qyokjtdzgl7gmqhsw4ajqj?ref_src=embed">@bencollins.bsky.social</a>) <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:x4qyokjtdzgl7gmqhsw4ajqj/post/3law3ikwies22?ref_src=embed">November 14, 2024 at 9:35 AM</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:mm5ebihpjvtrdunomulbls5m/app.bsky.feed.post/3law5fhv7q22v" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreigymhc36hrgg22g2bgwfrjm6nevym3oetbylu6boxdsg4xtkr6guq"> <p lang="en">I take it all back posting can change the world</p> <p>&mdash; ceej (<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mm5ebihpjvtrdunomulbls5m?ref_src=embed">@ceej.online</a>) <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mm5ebihpjvtrdunomulbls5m/post/3law5fhv7q22v?ref_src=embed">November 14, 2024 at 10:09 AM</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>The Onion&#8217;s imaginary owner<sup><a href="#footnote_1_232771" id="identifier_1_232771" class="footnote-link footnote-identifier-link" title="We old-timers recall, with fondness, the generations of Onion stewardship provided by the Zweibel family.">2</a></sup> Bryce P. Tetraeder — CEO of fictional conglomerate Global Tetrahedron LLC — <a href="https://theonion.com/heres-why-i-decided-to-buy-infowars/">explains the reasoning behind the acquisition in a piece</a>:</p> <p><blockquote class="rippedpaper"><div>Today we celebrate a new addition to the Global Tetrahedron LLC family of brands. And let me say, I really do see it as a family. Much like family members, our brands are abstract nodes of wealth, interchangeable assets for their patriarch to absorb and discard according to the opaque whims of the market. And just like family members, our brands regard one another with mutual suspicion and malice&#8230;</p> <p>Founded in 1999 on the heels of the Satanic “panic” and growing steadily ever since, InfoWars has distinguished itself as an invaluable tool for brainwashing and controlling the masses. With a shrewd mix of delusional paranoia and dubious anti-aging nutrition hacks, they strive to make life both scarier and longer for everyone, a commendable goal. They are a true unicorn, capable of simultaneously inspiring public support for billionaires and stoking outrage at an inept federal state that can assassinate JFK but can’t even put a man on the Moon.</p> <p>Through it all, InfoWars has shown an unswerving commitment to manufacturing anger and radicalizing the most vulnerable members of society — values that resonate deeply with all of us at Global Tetrahedron.</div></blockquote></p> <p>So <a href="https://x.com/maxwelltani/status/1857063171900514527/photo/1">what&#8217;s the plan</a>? The Onion plans to relaunch Infowars early next year as a parody of itself. (It might take a while just to clear up the site&#8217;s <a href="https://www.osnews.com/story/29784/google-rewrites-its-search-rankings-to-bury-fake-news/">anti-SEO</a>.) If <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/InternetIsBeautiful/comments/27ytgr/clickhole_the_onions_parody_of_buzzfeedesque/">Clickhole</a> was The Onion&#8217;s take on BuzzFeed, Infowars 2.0 will be its take on Infowars 1.0. &#8220;This is going to be our answer to this no-guardrails world where there are no gatekeepers and everything’s kind of insane,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/business/media/alex-jones-infowars-the-onion.html">Collins told the Times</a>. The Bloomberg-backed gun-control group <a href="https://www.everytown.org/">Everytown for Gun Safety</a> has struck a &#8220;multiyear agreement&#8221; to advertise on the new site, though no word on the size of the commitment.</p> <p>The money questions are interesting, but The Onion&#8217;s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/business/media/the-onion-sold.html"><em>actual</em> owner since April</a>, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/26/area-man-twilio-co-founder-jeff-lawson-buys-the-onion/">Twilio cofounder Jeff Lawson</a>, made <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeff-lawson/">enough money in tech</a> to be able to snap up this sort of distressed asset. Lawson and Collins are clearly in investment mode, reviving The Onion&#8217;s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/09/30/the-onion-news-network-joshua-johnson-host/">beloved ONN video efforts</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/16/business/media/the-onion-print-paper.html">restarting its print publication</a>. (Something must be working: The Onion <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/bencollins.bsky.social/post/3lawjrad2n22o">somehow now has <em>4.3 trillion</em> daily readers</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JubbOHiPKOQ">according to one source</a>.)</p> <p>Among the many <a href="https://x.com/OnionIncUnion/status/1803110809364480001">ironies</a>: <a href="https://www.wgaeast.org/organize/digital/digital-shops/onion-inc/">The Onion&#8217;s staff is unionized</a>, not least because of its <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/11/jim-spanfeller-is-a-herb-rise-fall-blog-post-deadspin.html">questionable</a> <a href="https://x.com/OnionIncUnion/status/1773085190073520189">management</a> under <a href="https://g-omedia.com/">G/O Media</a>. So while it&#8217;s too soon to know how bargaining units will shake out, Infowars staffers will likely soon be represented by <a href="https://www.wgaeast.org/">Writers Guild of America East</a>.</p> <p>Alex Jones himself has <a href="https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1857063152942243893">confirmed the news</a> — calling The Onion &#8220;Connecticut Democrats&#8221; and declining to break kayfabe (&#8220;a total attack on free speech, the deep state is completely out of control&#8221;):</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: Alex Jones has just confirmed that his network INFOWARS has just been acquired by the Onion, backed by the families of the Sandy Hook shooting <a href="https://t.co/jFbsW2EBZV">pic.twitter.com/jFbsW2EBZV</a></p> <p>&mdash; R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) <a href="https://twitter.com/rawsalerts/status/1857063152942243893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>Jones has started a new outlet, the <a href="https://alexjones.network/">Alex Jones Network</a>; it currently has <a href="https://x.com/AJNlive">111,000 followers</a> on Twitter. Most importantly, his <a href="https://thealexjonesstore.com/">online store</a> is already stocked with his usual array of fauxmaceuticals. For the low low price of $524.97, you can buy a 90-day supply of the <a href="https://thealexjonesstore.com/products/alex-jones-naturals-ultimate-power-bundle">Trump Won Ultimate Victory Bundle</a> — perfect for those who want to insure their Hydraforce Electrolyte Mix goes well with their Ultimate Seamoss Capsules With Bladderwrack &#038; Burdock Root. As of Thursday morning, <a href="https://www.infowars.com/">infowars.com urls</a> returned a &#8220;Site unavailable till further notice&#8221; message.)</p> <p><a href="https://x.com/OpenClusterTx/status/1857101477191254049">Meanwhile</a>, <a href="https://x.com/TheAdamKingShow/status/1857102203086856517">if</a> <a href="https://x.com/A_gent008/status/1857115991622422862">Twitter</a> <a href="https://x.com/mtnmahogany/status/1857103254737264965">is</a> <a href="https://x.com/JustJess0477/status/1857111695426027957">any</a> <a href="https://x.com/JohnH85309848/status/1857113129005519141">guide</a>, <a href="https://x.com/Lilbit1871964/status/1857101394332819593">pre</a>&#8211;<a href="https://x.com/liz_churchill10/status/1857088271697752085">acquisition</a> <a href="https://x.com/VeracityAlways/status/1857086853737849267">Infowars</a> <a href="https://x.com/KelleesVoice/status/1857082730502111553">fans</a> <a href="https://x.com/Traz8898/status/1857081432599851430">are</a> <a href="https://x.com/Mista_Dragg13/status/1857075701762887830">about</a> <a href="https://x.com/TrintyBeholder/status/1857075407566041297">as</a> <a href="https://x.com/FreeJesusland/status/1857072571805536595">excited</a> <a href="https://x.com/FreemanGoodnigh/status/1857118914720969129">about</a> <a href="https://x.com/Dave_DeRose/status/1857118682498900176">the</a> <a href="https://x.com/terciops/status/1857118504237064690">move</a> <a href="https://x.com/0pin_0pin/status/1857116739965722938">as</a> <a href="https://x.com/i_inept/status/1857116695221149864">Alex</a> <a href="https://x.com/Demk0w1cz/status/1857116368165871835">Jones</a> <a href="https://x.com/ShaneWyke/status/1857109701810438249">himself</a>. Indeed, for the old site&#8217;s biggest supporters, the lines between satire and reality have long been blurry. Both The Onion and Infowars have always been willing to say some bonkers things — but only The Onion was willing to acknowledge it with a wink.</p> <blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:z2uo7es6wrnsp3xswcrzdese/app.bsky.feed.post/3law4qub5ps2h" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreihoazvigejwh3j7iukzcolpeoxiyjpnglotmlxlaazptgsj2rn5y4"> <p lang="en">I think the best part may be that you can’t tell if The Onion has taken over yet.</p> <p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:z2uo7es6wrnsp3xswcrzdese/post/3law4qub5ps2h?ref_src=embed">[image or embed]</a></p> <p>&mdash; brando (<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:z2uo7es6wrnsp3xswcrzdese?ref_src=embed">@brando37.bsky.social</a>) <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:z2uo7es6wrnsp3xswcrzdese/post/3law4qub5ps2h?ref_src=embed">November 14, 2024 at 9:58 AM</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p><div class="photocredit">Image of Alex Jones on CNN in 2013 by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/37527185@N05/8365659082/">Tyler Merbler</a> used under a Creative Commons license.</div></p> <ol class="footnotes"><li id="footnote_0_232771" class="footnote">Other fun-looking titles: &#8220;<a href="https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send?accession=osu1681747667501287&#038;disposition=inline">Stop Eating The Onion! How to Best Reduce Satire-Based Misperceptions</a>&#8220;; &#8220;<a href="https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send?accession=ouhonors1340053865&#038;disposition=inline">Rooting for the Truth in Humor: The Onion’s Media and Cultural Satire</a>&#8220;; &#8220;<a href="https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/jaf/article-abstract/131/522/451/227023/Pretend-News-False-News-Fake-News-The-Onion-as-Put">Pretend News, False News, Fake News: The Onion as Put-On, Prank, and Legend</a>&#8220;; &#8220;<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1748048519880726">Of Lizards and Ideological Entrepreneurs: Alex Jones and Infowars in the Relationship Between Populist Nationalism and the Post-Global Media Ecology</a>&#8220;; &#8220;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19392397.2019.1691756">‘The Most Paranoid Man in America’: Alex Jones as Celebrity Populist</a>&#8220;; and the clear winner, &#8220;<a href="https://read.dukeupress.edu/environmental-humanities/article/14/3/661/319761/Theorizing-the-Gay-Frog">Theorizing the Gay Frog</a>.&#8221; [<a href="#identifier_0_232771" class="footnote-link footnote-back-link">&#8617;</a>]</li><li id="footnote_1_232771" class="footnote">We old-timers recall, with fondness, the generations of Onion stewardship provided by <a href="https://theonion.com/taking-care-of-business-1819583590/">the Zweibel family</a>. [<a href="#identifier_1_232771" class="footnote-link footnote-back-link">&#8617;</a>]</li></ol> <style> .contactbox { border-top: 1px solid #999; font-family: freight-text-pro, georgia, serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px; padding: 30px 0 0; margin: 30px 0 0; font-style: italic; } </style> <div class="contactbox"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/author/jbenton">Joshua Benton</a> is the senior writer and former director of Nieman Lab. You can reach him via <a href="mailto:joshua_benton@harvard.edu">email</a> (joshua_benton@harvard.edu) or <a href="https://twitter.com/jbenton">Twitter DM</a> (@jbenton).</div> </div> </div> <!-- ****************** DATE STAMP ******************** --> <div class="simple-datehubwrapper" style="margin-top: 30px; padding: 10px 0; border-top: 1px solid lightgrey; border-bottom: 1px solid whitesmoke;"> <div style="float: left; font-family: freight-sans-pro, proxima-nova; color: #444; padding: 0px; font-size: 13px; margin: 0 35px 0 0;"><strong>POSTED</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/14/">Nov. 14, 2024</a>, 2:34 p.m.</div> <!-- ****************** HUBS ******************** --> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </div> <!-- ****************** COLLECTION/SERIES KICKER ******************** --> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <!-- ****************** END-OF-POST SHARING TOOLS ******************** --> <div class="newfront-sharingrow" style="display: inline-block; text-align: left; width: 100%; margin: 0px 0 0px 0; padding: 10px 0 10px 0; border-bottom: 1px solid lightgrey;"> <div style="DISPLAY: NONE; font-family: freight-sans-pro, proxima-nova, 'helvetica neue'; font-size: 14px; line-height 16px; width: 100%; background: transparent; padding: 0px 0 0 0; margin: 0 0 10px 0;" class="simple-tags"><div class="simple-tag" style="margin: 0 20px 10px 0; padding: 0px 3px;"><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/tag/alex-jones/" rel="tag">Alex Jones</a></div><div class="simple-tag" style="margin: 0 20px 10px 0; padding: 0px 3px;"><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/tag/ben-collins/" rel="tag">Ben Collins</a></div><div class="simple-tag" style="margin: 0 20px 10px 0; padding: 0px 3px;"><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/tag/bryce-p-tetraeder/" rel="tag">Bryce P. 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"The Onion adds a new layer, buying Alex Jones&#8217; Infowars and turning it into a parody of itself." <em>Nieman Journalism Lab</em>. Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, 14 Nov. 2024. Web. 19 Nov. 2024. <https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself/></p> <p><strong>APA</strong></p> <p>Benton, J. (2024, Nov. 14). The Onion adds a new layer, buying Alex Jones&#8217; Infowars and turning it into a parody of itself. <em>Nieman Journalism Lab</em>. Retrieved November 19, 2024, from https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself/</p> <p><strong>Chicago</strong></p> <p>Benton, Joshua. "The Onion adds a new layer, buying Alex Jones&#8217; Infowars and turning it into a parody of itself." <em>Nieman Journalism Lab</em>. Last modified November 14, 2024. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself/.</p> <p><strong>Wikipedia</strong></p> <p>{{cite web<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| url = https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-onion-adds-a-new-layer-buying-alex-jones-infowars-and-turning-it-into-a-parody-of-itself/<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| title = The Onion adds a new layer, buying Alex Jones&#8217; Infowars and turning it into a parody of itself<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| last = Benton<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| first = Joshua<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| work = [[Nieman Journalism Lab]]<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| date = 14 November 2024<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| accessdate = 19 November 2024<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| ref = {{harvid|Benton|2024}}<br /> }}</p> </div> </div> <!-- /////////////////// LATEST FROM NIEMAN LAB --> <div class="simple-sidebar-latest sidebar-chunk sidebar-lateststories"> <div class="simple-sidebar-thelatestfromniemanlab" style="font-family: freight-sans-pro, 'whitney ssm a', 'whitney ssm b', franklin-gothic-urw, proxima-nova, chaparral-pro; color: #333; padding: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase; margin: 0 0 15px 0;"><span style="border-bottom: 1px solid #333;">The latest from Nieman Lab</span></div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <a class="simple-sidebar-latest-headline" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/two-thirds-of-news-influencers-are-men-and-most-have-never-worked-for-a-news-organization/"><div class="simple-sidebar-latest-storybox" style="margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd;"><picture><!--[if IE 9]><video style="display: none;"><![endif]--><source srcset="https://www.niemanlab.org/images/AdobeStock_353169396_Editorial_Use_Only-315x177.jpeg" media="(min-width: 800px)"><!--[if IE 9]></video><![endif]--><img srcset="" /></picture><div class="simple-sidebar-latest-headlinetext">Two-thirds of news influencers are men — and most have never worked for a news organization</div><div class="simple-sidebar-latest-deck" style="line-height: 14px; padding-top: 5px;"><span class="simple-sidebar-latest-author" style="">Sarah Scire</span></div></div></a><a class="simple-sidebar-latest-headline" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-guardian-wont-post-on-x-anymore-but-isnt-deleting-its-accounts-there-at-least-for-now/"><div class="simple-sidebar-latest-storybox" style="margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd;"><picture><!--[if IE 9]><video style="display: none;"><![endif]--><source srcset="https://www.niemanlab.org/images/Untitled-design-14-315x177.jpg" media="(min-width: 800px)"><!--[if IE 9]></video><![endif]--><img srcset="" /></picture><div class="simple-sidebar-latest-headlinetext">The Guardian won&#8217;t post on X anymore — but isn&#8217;t deleting its accounts there, at least for now</div><div class="simple-sidebar-latest-deck" style="line-height: 14px; padding-top: 5px;"><span class="simple-sidebar-latest-author" style="">Laura Hazard Owen</span></div></div></a><a class="simple-sidebar-latest-headline" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/what-should-journalists-do-when-the-facts-dont-matter/"><div class="simple-sidebar-latest-storybox" style="margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd;"><picture><!--[if IE 9]><video style="display: none;"><![endif]--><source srcset="https://www.niemanlab.org/images/i-voted-stickers-cc-2-315x177.jpg" media="(min-width: 800px)"><!--[if IE 9]></video><![endif]--><img srcset="" /></picture><div class="simple-sidebar-latest-headlinetext">What should journalists do when the facts don&#8217;t matter?</div><div class="simple-sidebar-latest-deck" style="line-height: 14px; padding-top: 5px;"><span class="simple-sidebar-latest-author" style="">Michael J. 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