The Onion’s Latest Joke: Taking Over Infowars
7/7/202622 min
Last Thursday, the satirical newspaper The Onion started its own version of Infowars, the infamous online hub of misinformation created by Alex Jones.
The takeover has been years in the making. After Mr. Jones lost two defamation cases, his assets were put up for auction. The Onion took over Infowars and said it planned to convert the site into a parody of itself.
Ben Collins, who is the chief executive of The Onion, and the comedian Tim Heidecker talk about what they plan to do with the newly acquired platform and why they pushed so hard to take control of it.
Guest:
- Ben Collins, chief executive of The Onion
- Tim Heidecker, actor and comedian
Background reading:
- The Onion’s plan to take over Infowars.
Photo: Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
[footsteps] Introducing Meta Glasses.
Tim Heidecker· Guest0:02
Hey, Meta. [chime] Any last-minute tables for two tonight?
Speaker 30:06
Sure. There's a great Italian restaurant 15 minutes away.
Tim Heidecker· Guest0:10
Hey, Meta. [chime] Where's the nearest flower shop?
Speaker 30:13
Five minutes away, straight down Broadway past the bodega. Their lilies are trending on Instagram. Just saying.
Tim Heidecker· Guest0:21
Hey, Meta. [chime] Am I forgetting anything else?
Speaker 30:24
How about setting a calendar reminder for next year?
Speaker 10:26
Meta Glasses, available in more than 20 styles.
Rachel Abrams· Host0:29
[upbeat music] From The New York Times, I'm Rachel Abrams, and this is The Daily.
Speaker 5· Soundbite0:37
This is not a joke. The satirical outlet The Onion is set to take over Infowars, the site that is run by notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Yes, you heard that correctly.
Rachel Abrams· Host0:50
Last Thursday, The Onion launched its own version of Infowars, the infamous online hub of misinformation created by Alex Jones. The takeover has been years in the making.
Speaker 6· Soundbite1:01
American conspiracy theorist and internet broadcaster Alex Jones has been ordered to pay Sandy Hook families more than $1.5 billion. That's because he perpetrated for years the lie that this shooting was a hoax, that the people were actors.
Rachel Abrams· Host1:16
After losing two defamation cases, Jones was ordered to pay more than a billion dollars to the families affected by the Sandy Hook school shooting.
Speaker 7· Soundbite1:23
Breaking news tonight. Alex Jones has just moved to liquidate his personal assets to pay the