Here’s one thing that’s worth knowing right off the bat about Alex Jones, the fringe conspiracy theorist who’s the subject of a new HBO documentary (The Truth vs. Alex Jones) and whose outlandish views and statements led to everything from his online de-platforming to a spate of lawsuits.
When his media business — the linchpin of which is his website InfoWars — was at its height, it was bringing in more viewership than CNN. That is to say, the controversial broadcaster was, and still is, someone that millions of people listen to. Including when he raised questions about the official narrative of the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, which was horrific enough, with the death of 20 children and six adults. But Jones used his platform to allege a possible government coverup, and soon enough, he and his followers were deep down a conspiracy rabbit hole that imagined method actors, green screens, and more were somehow part of this story.
His broadcasts and statements about what happened at Sandy Hook would lead to Jones being sued for defamation — a legal battle at the heart of this new HBO documentary, from Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Dan Reed (Four Hours at the Capitol, Leaving Neverland, Terror at the Mall). “Alex Jones is the most polarizing figure in this nation,” viewers are told at one point in the documentary, which airs on March 26 and will be available to stream on HBO’s Max platform.
Jones, who recently gave an interview on Russian TV to one of Putin’s chief propagandists, Vladimir Solovyov, was sued in both Texas and Connecticut. HBO’s The Truth vs. Alex Jones will walk viewers through those trials and their aftermath, which included the awarding of a combined total of almost $1.5 billion to the Sandy Hook families — the largest defamation award in US history. The documentary will also explore Jones’ media business, and the InfoWars store that supports it.
Shortly after the verdicts, Jones declared bankruptcy in an attempt to shield himself from being forced to pay the damages — but The Truth vs. Alex Jones reveals, if nothing else, that the families who’ve been harmed here are nothing if not relentless in their pursuit of justice.