This month, satirical newspaper The Onion announced its acquisition of Infowars, a right-wing media platform founded by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and offered to accept donations in bitcoin for those willing to support its reimagined version of the site.
“The Onion is proud to acquire Infowars, and we look forward to continuing its storied tradition of scaring the site’s users with lies until they fork over their cold, hard cash,” said The Onion's CEO Ben Collins. “Or bitcoin. We will also accept bitcoin.”
The humor publication has taken aim at the crypto industry before, publishing parody news articles headlined “Crypto Leaders Call For Infusion Of 20 Million Dopes To Stabilize Market,” and “Man Who Lost Everything In Crypto Just Wishes Several Thousand More People Had Warned Him.”
Infowars, which attracted a readership in the millions in its heyday, gained prominence for peddling conspiracy theories about high-profile events like 9/11, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, resulting in Sandy Hook families backing The Onion’s Infowars takeover bid.
The current Infowars website already maintains a bitcoin donation link for Jones’ legal defense fund, which gained attention after parents of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting filed a defamation case against Jones. The lawsuits had severe financial consequences for Jones and his media properties, with Jones being required to pay nearly $1.5 billion in damages after labeling the shooting a hoax. This prompted Jones to file for bankruptcy and claim significant financial hardship, with the existing Infowars site directing users to a page on Alex Jones’ website to donate directly to his cryptocurrency wallet.