Recently, American radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was ordered to pay USD 1 billion over his malicious spread of disinformation regarding the Sandy Hook school shooting massacre.
As Jones received this fine, I questioned whether this ‘punishment’ compensates for the damage he has already created. Is free speech merely warped to become an excuse individuals exploit to minimise the consequences of their behaviour?
In December 2012, Adam Lanza brutally shot his mother before going on to murder 20 students and 6 members of staff at Sandy Hook school in Connecticut. Many conspiracy theorists, rather absurdly, argued that the US government orchestrated the attack to promote stricter gun laws.
In 2018, the parents of several children who lost their lives in the massacre launched a lawsuit against Jones for defamation.
Alex Jones took this theory one step further, claiming the deaths were faked with the use of actors. In 2018, the parents of several children who lost their lives in the massacre launched a lawsuit against Jones for defamation.
Not only has Jones repeatedly refused to provide any evidence for his claims, but he has also abused his enormous platform to create an extremely dangerous echo chamber of disinformation, leading to the harassment and abuse of the grieving families of the Sandy Hook victims.
Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was murdered in the attack, endured online abuse, harassment and even death threats in response to Jones’ public singling out. Parker paid tribute to his late daughter, leading Jones to label him as “disgusting”, claiming the girl was not dead but a child actor paid by the government.
The abuse of victims did not stop there. Other families received death and rape threats along with countless messages from Jones’ fellow theorists threatening to defile and dig up their loved ones’ graves.
This is not simply an issue of an individual’s right to free speech. Whilst it should be protected, it should not be used as an excuse for power-hungry individuals to incite violence and harassment towards families.
The terrifying truth is that according to the New York Times, nearly one-fifth of Americans today believe high-profile mass shootings are staged, usually by the government. This communicates the dangerous extent of Jones’ influence as he hides in his podcast studio behind the right to free speech.
Regardless of the money he pays out, the damage of disinformation has been done, resulting in a severe mistrust of those who we look towards to keep us safe, and indescribable hurt towards innocent individuals.
