Here’s the type of headline you might see in The Onion:
The Onion buys Alex Jones’ Infowars.
And then what would follow would be a smart-alecky story about the satirical site taking down the crackpot conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, scooping up his site from auction, and how a gun safety advocacy group would advertise on the revamped site that will make fun of other knuckleheads and bad actors.
It would be hilarious.
Now here’s the deal. Everything above is true!
And, it is hilarious.
The Onion did end up with InfoWars on Thursday, winning a bankruptcy auction to take over the site.
The Associated Press’ Dave Collins reported that The Onion’s bid was backed by the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, to whom Jones owes more than $1 billion in defamation judgments for calling the 2012 massacre a hoax.
The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin wrote, “Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit dedicated to ending gun violence that was founded in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting, will advertise on a relaunched version of the site under The Onion. The publication plans to reintroduce Infowars in January as a parody of itself, mocking ‘weird internet personalities’ like Mr. Jones who traffic in misinformation and health supplements, Ben Collins, the chief executive of The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, said in an interview.”
Ben Collins told Mullin, “We thought this would be a hilarious joke. This is going to be our answer to this no-guardrails world where there are no gatekeepers and everything’s kind of insane.”
Of course The Onion had a story on its site about it from fake CEO Bryce P. Tetraeder, who wrote, “No price would be too high for such a cornucopia of malleable assets and minds. And yet, in a stroke of good fortune, a formidable special interest group has outwitted the hapless owner of InfoWars (a forgettable man with an already-forgotten name) and forced him to sell it at a steep bargain: less than one trillion dollars. Make no mistake: This is a coup for our company and a well-deserved victory for multinational elites the world over.”
In his AP story, Dave Collins wrote, “On his live broadcast, Jones was angry and defiant, vowing to challenge the sale and auction process in court. He later announced his show was being shut down. Jones, who had told listeners for days that he had a new studio set up nearby, then resumed his broadcast from the new location, carrying them live on his accounts on X.”
Jones told his listeners, “This is a total attack on free speech, the deep state is completely out of control. This is the tyranny of the New World Order, desperate to silence the American people.”
Maybe if Jones hadn’t been found liable for saying the Sandy Hook shootings were a hoax, his site wouldn’t be in the position he is now.
Mullin wrote, “Mr. Collins said The Onion began contemplating a bid for Infowars this summer, when he read online that it was going to be auctioned off. The publication’s leadership team saw an opportunity to play a very funny, very public joke on Mr. Jones if things broke their way.
In early fall, Mr. Collins reached out to the lawyers for the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook shootings, whom he knew from his days as a reporter covering misinformation at NBC News. The families expressed support for The Onion’s bid, Mr. Collins said.”
Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, said in a statement, “The dissolution of Alex Jones’s assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for.”
The right person for the job
NBC News’ Craig Melvin, shown here in June 2023. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Craig Melvin has been selected by NBC News to replace Hoda Kotb as co-host of the “Today” show. Melvin will move into the chair alongside Savannah Guthrie from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern after Kotb leaves on Jan. 10 of next year.
That’s the right move.
Melvin already hosts the show’s third hour and is the news anchor during the first two hours. He will continue hosting the third hour with Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones.
Libby Leist, senior vice president of “Today,” said in a statement, “We are beyond thrilled to have Craig step into the co-anchor chair. He’s been an integral and beloved part of our family. From breaking news coverage in the field, to presidential interviews, to multiple Olympics and Super Bowls, Craig’s shown he has the talent and the range to cover all that we do here at ‘Today.’ And he does it without ever losing that Southern charm.”
The show made the announcement official on the air. Melvin said, “I’ve enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings and this is the latest.” He told Kotb and Guthrie, “You guys are the sisters I never thought I needed.”
Another round
Charlotte Klein’s latest for New York magazine: “Who Wants to Cover the Second Coming of Trump?”
It gets into who the next White House press secretary might be. Klein lists possible candidates as Karoline Leavitt, who was the campaign’s national press secretary and now is the transition spokeswoman; campaign spokesman Steven Cheung; campaign advisers Danielle Alvarez and Brian Hughes; Tim Murtaugh, a former 2020 Trump campaign communications director; and, Scott Jennings — the conservative voice on many CNN panels.
Klein also writes about what coverage from the major news organizations might look like.
She wrote that one political writer told her, “Covering a Trump administration just requires a pretty robust strong team that is going to be available all the time.” But, another added, “Who has the money to hire? Basically everyone is laying folks off. There’s just not a lot of resources out there. A handful of places will be on the hunt, and everyone else will be trying to keep their current talent from bailing.”
And now for more media news, tidbits and interesting links for your weekend review …
- The Washington Post’s Jeremy Barr with “With jobs to fill, Trump once again turns to Fox News.”
- Speaking of Fox News, Margaret Sullivan’s latest column for The Guardian is “Any line of separation between Fox News and the US government is about to vanish.” Sullivan writes, “It’s hard to jump from Fox to a job at a serious news organization. But, if you want to work at the Trump White House, there are few better resume-builders.”
- And Politico’s Jasper Goodman with “Trump’s cable news Cabinet,” He writes, “Want a job in the second Trump administration? Get booked on a cable news show.”
- The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint and Drew FitzGerald with “Trump vs. Media Moves Back to the White House.”
- During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump talked to a bunch of podcasters and streamers. Jon Caramanica and The New York Times watched them all and wrote, “Where to Find the Avuncular Donald Trump? Check the Manosphere.”
- For Columbia Journalism Review, Paul Beckett with “The Wall Street Journal’s Campaign to Free Evan Gershkovich.”
- Liz Seymour has been named managing editor of The Washington Post. Seymour, who has been with the Post for 25 years, was most recently a deputy managing editor. Seymour joins current managing editors Matea Gold, Krissah Thompson and Scott Vance and will report to executive editor Matt Murray.
- The Washington Post’s Jessica Contrera and Jenn Abelson (with photos by Carolyn Van Houten) with “A police chief was accused of paying $100 to rape a teen — and trying to cover it up.”
More resources for journalists
- Lead With Influence is for leaders who manage big responsibilities but have no direct reports.
- Are you an up-and-coming newsroom manager?
- Encourage an outstanding colleague to apply for Leadership Academy for Women in Media.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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