In American media, a Goldilocks moment is currently occurring. We just are unable to determine how much truth we truly desire. As Alex Jones demonstrated this week with a $49M verdict for distributing false information about Sandy Hook, telling too many lies can result in costly lawsuits. On the other hand, too much truth might result in lawsuits by special interests wary of having infamous stories become well-known, as hundreds of writers have discovered (including this author).
Is there any chance of a healthy middle, or will the news just become meaningless?
Jones’ tale ought to serve as a wake-up call for both the left and the right to demand greater veracity from those who tell their stories. Democracy’s future depends on it.
Overly many lies
Alex Jones was exposed as a liar last week on the Sandy Hook atrocity. A mass shooter killed 26 individuals on December 14, 2012, 20 of whom were young children (6 to 7 years old). Jones had already gone on TV to deny the mass shooting, asking “why does government create these things, to steal our firearms,” and referring to bereaved parents as “crisis actors” before they could even stop to mourn their devastating loss.
It’s difficult to say if he did it with the intention of making money, but that was undoubtedly a result.
With 4 million unique viewers each month in 2010 and projected sales of $10 million per year in 2013, InfoWars was already a comparatively successful media company. By 2018, he outperformed well-known magazines like Newsweek and the Economist with 10 million unique views each month. It was determined during the trial that Jones’ businesses were worth between $135 million and $270 million.
His specialty is what are formally referred to as “conspiracy theories,” a word that suggests that rumours like PizzaGate might actually be genuine. However, a theory can ultimately be proven untrue by scientific research, and those promoted by Alex Jones have done so. He is well renowned for disseminating “misinformation,” which is just another way of saying “lying.”
