An Infowars insider on the warped world of Alex Jones
5/7/202636 min
As the satirical online newspaper the Onion waits for court approval to take over the conspiracy website Infowars, Helen Pidd speaks to a former staff member about its sinister rise and dramatic fall. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
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First 90 secondsHelen Pidd· Host0:00
This is The Guardian. [music] Today, an Infowars insider on the warped universe of Alex Jones.
Josh Owens· Guest0:13
When I first started working there, I would say I was a believer. It's, it's why I took the job. I was a well-meaning young guy who thought that going to work there was going to make a difference. I mean, that is genuinely what I felt.
Helen Pidd· Host0:33
Josh Owens was a film school dropout when he was offered a job on Infowars, the online platform run by the far right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Speaker 20:43
What's dangerous is the pharmaceuticals. What's dangerous is the vaccines. What's dangerous is the high-fructose corn syrup. What's dangerous is the fluoride. That's killing millions of people a year. It's worse than tobacco.
Helen Pidd· Host0:55
Josh was a fan. He thought Alex Jones was spreading, not conspiracies, but truths, truths the establishment wants to keep secret, and he seemed to have fun while he was doing it.
Speaker 21:04
I want this covered tomorrow night. I want GMOs covered. I want what's going on covered. I wanna fight these son of a bitches.
Josh Owens· Guest1:12
Jones made the world seem exciting. Jones made the world seem cinematic, and it wasn't ideology initially. That did come. But, uh, initially it was just that he made the world feel like a movie, and that's what hooked me.