By JUAN A. LOZANO (Associated Press) HOUSTON (AP) — Alex Jones has pushed many conspiracy theories over the last three decades, including that the U.S.
government was behind or failed to stop the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 attacks. As the outlandish nature of his false claims grew, so did his media empire, with annual revenues of up to $80 million, and a fanbase that listens to him on more than 100 radio stations across the United States as well as through his Infowars website and social media. “I would say that he’s one of the more extreme actors operating in this overall environment of disinformation,” said Nathan Walter, an associate professor at the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University.
Now, the king of conspiracies could be dethroned for repeatedly lying on his Infowars programs by saying that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 20 first graders and six teachers was a hoax . A judge in federal court in Houston is set to decide whether to convert Jones’ bankruptcy reorganization to a liquidation to help pay off some of the $1.5 billion he owes from lawsuits filed by the families of the victims.
The bombastic Jones remained defiant ahead of Friday’s court hearing, saying on his Infowars show earlier this month that he’s been “an honorable, straightforward man.” Born in 1974, Jones grew up in Dallas. His father was a dentist and his mother was a homemaker.
As a teenager, his family moved to Austin. I.