Alt-right and conspiracy theory fake news show, Infowars, filed bankruptcy by the show’s host Alex Jones after losing four defamation cases relating to misinformation regarding the Sandy Hook shooting. Infowars gained a reputation for creating and spreading conspiracy theories since 1999 such as how ex-president Bill Clinton orchestrated 9/11. Jones also pushed the theory of how the government puts chemicals in the water to “turn people gay”. 

Jones depicted on his broadcast that actors planned the Sandy Hook shooting in a scheme to increase gun control. Families of the victims who suffered from the Sandy Hook shooting sued the radio show host while disputing claims from Jones that the families “covered up the truth” about the massacre at the elementary school. 

20 first-graders and six teachers lost their lives in the infamous shooting of Sandy Hook; the event caused widespread reaction including an address by former president Barack Obama and the creation of organizations like the non-profit Sandy Hook Promise.  Organizations similar to Sandy Hook Promise strive to create a non-violent culture and end school shootings.

The families of the victims attest they have experienced harassment because of the hoax pushed by Infowars. Arrested for the possession of the identification belonging to a father whose child passed away in the Sandy Hook shooting, Wolfgang Halbig believes that the mass shooting never happened and expressed his thoughts as a guest on Infowars. Another person who claims actors planned the Sandy Hook shooting, Lucy Richards sent threatening messages to another victim’s father. 

“I think he should go broke because he jumped to conclusions. The fact of the matter is that 26 people died. I think he should pay as much as their children are worth. No amount of money can compare to the death of their child. If he’s saying fraudulent things and false information, he’s not bringing anything good to the internet,” sophomore Gavin Tica said.

Following the filling, Jones announced on his show about an “emergency blowout sale” on infowar merchandise sold on his website. The website features up to a thousand sponsorships to help “defend the first amendment” and “fight the globalist agenda”. Although he filed bankruptcy for his companies, he didn’t file bankruptcy for himself as he feared that it would “harm his ability to sell merchandise”. Jones’s lawyers wrote that the movement against Jones worked to “silence” his free speech and to prevent anyone who opposes the government and mainstream media.

“This is do or die time if you want to keep us on the air. They are trying to silence you. They are trying to take down the leading voice of resistance,” Jones said.

After Jones filed his companies for bankruptcy, a judge pushed back the first trial to an undecided date. The first jury trial would have occurred on April 25 if not for the setback. Following the bankruptcy filing, Texas judge Maya Guerra Gamble put a hold on all defamation lawsuits against Jones. The families of the victims already won the lawsuits against Jones and a jury determining how much Jones should pay to the families remains the only step left to conclude the lawsuits.