The Rise and Fall of Alex Jones: From Conspiracies to Courtrooms

[Social Media]

 

Over the past three decades, Alex Jones has built a formidable media empire rooted in the propagation of conspiracy theories. Known for his bombastic style and unverified claims, Jones has captivated a significant audience, generating annual revenues of up to $80 million. His media presence spans more than 100 radio stations across the United States and extends to his Infowars website and various social media platforms. "I would say that he’s one of the more extreme actors operating in this overall environment of disinformation," remarked Nathan Walter, an associate professor at the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University.

 

However, Jones' empire faces potential downfall due to his persistent false claims regarding the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. He repeatedly asserted that the tragic event, which resulted in the deaths of 20 first graders and six teachers, was a hoax. This misinformation led to multiple lawsuits filed by the victims' families, culminating in a court-ordered $1.5 billion in damages. A judge in federal court in Houston is now set to determine whether to convert Jones’ bankruptcy reorganization into a liquidation to help pay off this massive debt.

 

Despite the looming court decision, Jones has remained defiant. On his Infowars show earlier this month, he proclaimed, "I’ve been an honorable, straightforward man." Born in 1974, Jones grew up in Dallas, Texas. His father worked as a dentist, while his mother was a homemaker. During his teenage years, his family relocated to Austin, a city known for its unofficial motto, "Keep Austin Weird." It was in Austin, fresh out of high school, that Jones began his broadcasting career on a public-access television channel in the 1990s. He quickly gained attention by promoting conspiracies about the U.S. government and propagating false claims about a secret New World Order, a narrative partially influenced by the 1971 book "None Dare Call It Conspiracy," which claims that shadowy forces control the government, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

 

In 1996, Jones began working for radio station KJFK in Austin. However, his extreme viewpoints made it difficult to secure sponsors for his show, leading to his dismissal after three years. Unfazed, Jones started broadcasting from home via his Infowars website, purchasing the domain name for a mere $9. Jones' success can be attributed to his ability to adapt to the changing media landscape and leverage the rise of social media and podcasting. "He is very appealing in how he talks to his listeners. It feels as if they’re part of a community, they’re part of a friend group," said Walter.

 

By 2004, Jones operated with just two employees out of a small office in south Austin. Three years later, he founded Free Speech Systems to manage his expanding media enterprise. By 2010, the company had grown to over 60 employees. However, following the Sandy Hook lawsuits, Free Speech Systems also filed for bankruptcy reorganization. Jones' company now boasts four studios in Austin that broadcast his shows and a warehouse for the products he sells, primarily dietary supplements. Since 2013, Jones has focused on selling these supplements, with names like Infowars Life Brain Force Plus and Infowars Life Super Male Vitality, generating about 80% of Free Speech Systems’ revenue.

 

In 2018, after the Sandy Hook families sued Jones, major social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, banned him. Despite this, Walter suggested that the bans did not significantly impact Jones' influence. Even if a judge decides to liquidate his assets, Walter believes Jones will continue spreading misinformation.

 

"The biggest takeaway from the first moment when we were introduced to Alex Jones until (Friday’s) hearing happens: It tells us more about us as a society, our vulnerabilities, our susceptibilities than actually something unique about Alex Jones," Walter explained. "There are other people. Maybe not everyone is as gifted and talented in using his platform to spread these lies, but there are other people like Alex Jones."

 

Alex Jones' journey from a young broadcaster on public-access television to a prominent figure in the realm of conspiracy theories illustrates a profound narrative about media influence and societal vulnerability. As the legal battles unfold, the story of Alex Jones serves as a cautionary tale about the impact of disinformation and the challenges in addressing it within modern society.

 

Credit: AP News 2024-06-15

 

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[Tug]

That’s one rabid dog there in my personal opinion I’m not allowed to say what should happen to him,but I will say it involves baseball bats and sandy hook elementary school dads and moms………

[Chomper Higgot]

I hear he’s having to ‘sell the farm’ to pay his debts.

 

 

[Walker88]

You can fool some of the people all of the time.

 

Jones either coined or popularized many of the moonbat conspiracies and conspiracy-related terms that now pepper the realm of the crazed and forlorn demographic. Not sure if he coined "Crisis Actors", but he certainly made it go mainstream. He pushed the silly 9-11 Truther thing. He once stood outside a Bilderberg Group meeting and screamed that the group's dinner was babies roasted in gold leaf. I would not be surprised if he was the inspiration behind "Q" and the entire QAnon silliness.

 

No better example of how gullible and simply ignorant his followers are than his success selling supplements. Jones is a guy who looks 10-15 years older than he is, is a guy in horrible physical shape, and yet he can entice his goobers into buying snake oil that he claims will make them healthier and more virile.

 

I don't know it for a fact, I just know it's true that he likely owns the entire Incel demographic. I will also guess he has among his followers exactly zero Biden supporters.  He peddles the kind of physical and ideological nonsense that captures the kind of people who support the convicted felon. I'm a little surprised that he, too, hasn't yet schlepped NFTs of him as an astronaut or a fighter pilot.

[bendejo]

Unfortunately another of his kind will take his place, maybe already has.  All those podcasters queuing up.

What this guy put those people through is absolutely heinous.  Nothing they do to him would be too cruel.

 

[johng]

4 hours ago, Tug said:

I’m not allowed to say what should happen to him,but I will say it involves baseball bats and sandy hook elementary school dads and moms………

 

It should be remembered that Alex Jones  did not murder the Sandy Hook kids  or anybody else !

he did "hurt the families (+FBI agent) feelings"

and as such ordered to pay them a preposterous 1.5 billion dollars.

 

5 hours ago, Social Media said:

Even if a judge decides to liquidate his assets, Walter believes Jones will continue spreading misinformation.

More slandering,  

Alex Jones ( and Co) has revealed multiple cases of government/corporate  misinformation/disinformation propaganda and down right lies  that is the very reason they want to shut down his business and try to silence him.

Many of the so called conspiracy theories  Alex Jones talks about have turned out  with the passage of time to be true or partly true  of course he gets some things wrong.

 

The other day he interviewed the daughter of Stanley Kubrick, Vivien  she was there to debunk a conspiracy theory...it's a shame Alex Jones  is not a very good interviewer though he has a bad habit of interrupting all the time...but still it was very interesting what she had to say.

 

[riclag]

First time I watched AJ was when he had Millie Weaver& Owen S as roving reporters ! I enjoyed the interviews they would have at rallies & protests. I use to like the  Drudge Report too.
 

29 minutes ago, johng said:

 

It should be remembered that Alex Jones  did not murder the Sandy Hook kids  or anybody else !

he did "hurt the families (+FBI agent) feelings"

and as such ordered to pay them a preposterous 1.5 billion dollars.

 

More slandering,  

Alex Jones ( and Co) has revealed multiple cases of government/corporate  misinformation/disinformation propaganda and down right lies  that is the very reason they want to shut down his business and try to silence him.

Many of the so called conspiracy theories  Alex Jones talks about have turned out  with the passage of time to be true or partly true  of course he gets some things wrong.

 

The other day he interviewed the daughter of Stanley Kubrick, Vivien  she was there to debunk a conspiracy theory...it's a shame Alex Jones  is not a very good interviewer though he has a bad habit of interrupting all the time...but still it was very interesting what she had to say.

 

 

[placeholder]

50 minutes ago, johng said:

 

It should be remembered that Alex Jones  did not murder the Sandy Hook kids  or anybody else !

he did "hurt the families (+FBI agent) feelings"

and as such ordered to pay them a preposterous 1.5 billion dollars.

 

 

 

Your attempt to set up a straw man is inept. "hurt feelings" are not grounds for bringing a lawsuit. Slander and libel are. Alex Jones blatantly slandered the parents of those schoolchildren.

[johng]

3 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Alex Jones blatantly slandered the parents of those schoolchildren.

Alex Jones has been blatantly slandered far more times  just look at the article at the beginning of this thread...Alex has admitted he was wrong about Sandy Hook  he admitted it before the lawsuit/trial  and he apologised again during the trial... 1.5 billion dollar fine is nothing more than an attempt to shut him up.

 

And again Alex Jones did not kill the Sandy Hook kids  or anyone else.

 

Adam Lanza  did the shootings then killed himself  so no money from him  for the parents hurt feelings.

 

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, johng said:

Adam Lanza  did the shootings then killed himself  so no money from him  for the parents hurt feelings.

Jeez........"Hurt feelings" indeed, when the parents of the children killed were going through a grieving process, and at that time other nut jobs were knocking at their doors accusing them of hiding the children because they were not actually dead!!!

 

IMO anybody who thinks that this sort of harassment is simply "hurt feelings" needs to get real, and some, and I personally think your post is disgusting.

[animalmagic]

2 hours ago, riclag said:

First time I watched AJ was when he had Millie Weaver& Owen S as roving reporters ! I enjoyed the interviews they would have at rallies & protests. I use to like the  Drudge Report too.
 

 

Some people used to enjoy watching Rolf Harris and Jimmy Saville. 

[James105]

2 hours ago, placeholder said:

Your attempt to set up a straw man is inept. "hurt feelings" are not grounds for bringing a lawsuit. Slander and libel are. Alex Jones blatantly slandered the parents of those schoolchildren.

 

Maybe he did but he was not the cause of those kids being killed that caused the pain those parents went through.  Those more responsible would be the NRA, the company that made the weapons, the government that allowed the weapons to be circulated, the person or shop that allowed someone to buy the weapons, and most of all the person who did the actual shooting.   Fining Alex Jones $1.5 billion does nothing at all to stop the next batch of parents suffering in the same way.   The fact that he was fined so much when his contribution to their pain is so insignificant in comparison to those I listed is ridiculous and just gives those who are more responsible yet another free pass.  

[John Drake]

Art Bell instead. Now, there was an entertainer.  Alex Jones is just an evil minded crank.

[rudi49jr]

3 hours ago, johng said:

 

It should be remembered that Alex Jones  did not murder the Sandy Hook kids  or anybody else !

he did "hurt the families (+FBI agent) feelings"

and as such ordered to pay them a preposterous 1.5 billion dollars.

 

More slandering,  

Alex Jones ( and Co) has revealed multiple cases of government/corporate  misinformation/disinformation propaganda and down right lies  that is the very reason they want to shut down his business and try to silence him.

Many of the so called conspiracy theories  Alex Jones talks about have turned out  with the passage of time to be true or partly true  of course he gets some things wrong.

 

The other day he interviewed the daughter of Stanley Kubrick, Vivien  she was there to debunk a conspiracy theory...it's a shame Alex Jones  is not a very good interviewer though he has a bad habit of interrupting all the time...but still it was very interesting what she had to say.

 

 

2 hours ago, johng said:

Alex Jones has been blatantly slandered far more times  just look at the article at the beginning of this thread...Alex has admitted he was wrong about Sandy Hook  he admitted it before the lawsuit/trial  and he apologised again during the trial... 1.5 billion dollar fine is nothing more than an attempt to shut him up.

 

And again Alex Jones did not kill the Sandy Hook kids  or anyone else.

 

Adam Lanza  did the shootings then killed himself  so no money from him  for the parents hurt feelings.

 

Why do you keep defending the indefensible? Alex Jones is a despicable excuse for a human being, who made millions of dollars hawking all kinds of insane conspiracy theories, and made life for the families of the children that were killed in Sandy Hook a living hell. He sicced his followers onto them, which resulted in ridiculous threats and people had to move because of that, some several times, to escape from these lunatics.
What Alex Jones did is inexcusable, period. He deserves to be tarred and feathered and chased out of Dodge. I hope the courts will see through his very transparant efforts to hide his assets and declare bankruptcy, and I hope everything he owns will be taken away from him, to the very last penny, and given to the Sandy Hook families as compensation.

[johng]

45 minutes ago, xylophone said:

IMO anybody who thinks that this sort of harassment is simply "hurt feelings" needs to get real, and some, and I personally think your post is disgusting.

Well i'm sorry I hurt your feelings

(I dont have 1.5 billion dollars either)

 

Again Alex Jones did not go and harras the parents, other poeple did that I think is disgusting that he has/is being persecuted.

[johng]

3 minutes ago, rudi49jr said:

Why do you keep defending the indefensible?

Why do you keep defending "establishment" tropes ?

Alex Jones has and continues to exposed the "establishment"  for what it is  they don't like it and want him silenced.. perhaps you don't realise that after he is silenced you and everyone else are next ?

[xylophone]

2 minutes ago, johng said:

Why do you keep defending "establishment" tropes ?

Alex Jones has and continues to exposed the "establishment"  for what it is  they don't like it and want him silenced.. perhaps you don't realise that after he is silenced you and everyone else are next ?

There speaks a dyed in the wool conspiracy theorist..........deep state. pizza parlour, drinking children's blood and maga supporter. Sad.

[rudi49jr]

2 minutes ago, johng said:

Why do you keep defending "establishment" tropes ?

Alex Jones has and continues to exposed the "establishment"  for what it is  they don't like it and want him silenced.. perhaps you don't realise that after he is silenced you and everyone else are next ?

Now I see what you’re trying to push, the old ‘they will be coming for you next’ tripe. Well, if you believe that, you’re even deeper down the rabbit hole than I thought.

By the way, the only interest Alex Jones had and has is his own bank account. “Exposing the establishment”, as you call it, was just a means to that end. Just another American grifter getting rich from pulling the wool  over the eyes of the brainless rubes and goobers.

[johng]

39 minutes ago, animalmagic said:

Some people used to enjoy watching Rolf Harris and Jimmy Saville. 

IMHO Rolf Harris had a real talent Jimmy Saville not so much

The viewers at the time had no idea about their "secret" life   are you suggesting Alex Jones also has a secret life ?

[johng]

3 minutes ago, xylophone said:

There speaks a dyed in the wool conspiracy theorist..

Says the dyed in the wool "establishment supporter"

[Jingthing]

Alex Jones is the scum of the earth. 

[candide]

15 minutes ago, johng said:

Why do you keep defending "establishment" tropes ?

Alex Jones has and continues to exposed the "establishment"  for what it is  they don't like it and want him silenced.. perhaps you don't realise that after he is silenced you and everyone else are next ?

Jones was ready to say anything, including smearing parents of dead children, in order to make money from the gullible and nutters.

[animalmagic]

13 minutes ago, johng said:

IMHO Rolf Harris had a real talent Jimmy Saville not so much

The viewers at the time had no idea about their "secret" life   are you suggesting Alex Jones also has a secret life ?

Nor suggesting anything of the sort, I would hate to make slanderous and vicious accusations! That can be very expensive. The comment I replied to stated that they used to enjoy watching AJ. My reply was simply to highlight the fact that an individual's enjoyment of a performance does not make the performer a good person. As is evidenced by the fact that AJ, Rolf and Jimmy have all been found guilty of crimes.

[johng]

4 minutes ago, candide said:

Jones was ready to say anything, including smearing parents of dead children, in order to make money from the gullible and nutters.

 

Remember the decapitated babies story ?  who's paying billions of dollars for that fabrication ?

 

[Skeptic7]

8 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I hear he’s having to ‘sell the farm’ to pay his debts.

 

 

Too bad he hasn't "bought the farm" ⚰️❗

[johng]

9 minutes ago, animalmagic said:

As is evidenced by the fact that AJ, Rolf and Jimmy have all been found guilty of crimes.

The aledged crimes of the other 2 are in no way comparable to the crime Alex Jones is charged with.

In fact Alex has in the past soundly rebuted charges mildly similar to the other 2...

3 letter agencies sent child porn to his email trying to frame him.

[johng]

8 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Too bad he hasn't "bought the farm" ⚰️❗

He sold his farm to finance infowars before the Sandy Hook trial...he says he will sleep on a sofa and make guest appearances

on the many independent media outlets if/when his own outlets are siezed,

no doubt many sofas will be offered by those who support him.

[Chomper Higgot]

58 minutes ago, johng said:

Why do you keep defending "establishment" tropes ?

Alex Jones has and continues to exposed the "establishment"  for what it is  they don't like it and want him silenced.. perhaps you don't realise that after he is silenced you and everyone else are next ?

Please accept my condolences, I’m sure these are difficult and worrying times.

[candide]

37 minutes ago, johng said:

 

Remember the decapitated babies story ?  who's paying billions of dollars for that fabrication ?

 

Deflection.....

BTW, I did not claim that Jones had any exclusivity on diffusing fake news.

[johng]

51 minutes ago, rudi49jr said:

Now I see what you’re trying to push, the old ‘they will be coming for you next’ tripe. Well, if you believe that, you’re even deeper down the rabbit hole than I thought.

I've only just started down the rabbit hole. you think you are safe because you agree with the "establishment" view...well eventually there will be something you dispute enough to speak out about  and then it's you who's "down the rabbit hole" by then though there will probably be no one left to offer support.