The satirical news site The Onion will not be acquiring Infowars from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. A U.S. bankruptcy judge ruled that the auction did not yield the best possible offers.
The judge found the process insufficiently transparent, failing to encourage competitive bidding. Infowars was auctioned in November to generate funds to pay damages to the families of victims from the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, which left 26 people dead.
Jones had falsely claimed the shooting was staged and the victims’ parents were actors, resulting in a nearly $1.5 billion compensation order. The winning bid amount from The Onion was not disclosed.
Apart from The Onion, a supplement company linked to Jones participated in the auction. Both Jones and the supplement company argued that the process was unfair, alleging that The Onion received undue credit for support from families awarded large compensations.
The Onion expressed deep disappointment with the judge’s decision but remains interested in acquiring Infowars to create a “better, funnier internet.” A month ago, Infowars’ website was inactive, but it is now back online with new articles being published.
Source: NOS