Grab Your Tin Foil Hat for The Onion's Takeover of Infowars

This episode of On the Media explores a surreal cultural pivot: The Onion, the satirical newspaper, is poised to take over Infowars, the right-wing conspiracy platform founded by Alex Jones. The move comes after years of Infowars spreading dangerous disinformation, most infamously denying the Sandy Hook massacre, and facing a $1.4 billion defamation judgment. The Onion's CEO, Ben Collins, was galvanized to act after the tragic death of Renee Good, which Infowars covered with callous, unverified claims. With the help of a state receiver overseeing Jones's bankruptcy, The Onion secured the rights to Infowars' IP and studio, with comedian Tim Heidecker named creative director. He plans to use the platform not just to parody Infowars, but to create a space for bold, individual-voiced comedy that confronts absurdity with humor, offering relief to those overwhelmed by real-world chaos. The episode also features a powerful interview with Amy Goodman, co-founder of Democracy Now!, who reflects on 30 years of independent journalism. She recounts her life-changing coverage of the 1991 East Timor massacre, where she and her colleague were nearly killed while reporting on U.S.-backed violence. Goodman argues that journalism must center marginalized voices and expose power, not just report it, and that the corporate media's decline has opened space for new, progressive outlets like DropSite and 404 Media. Her message is clear: truth-telling is an act of resistance, and the public must be given the tools to see the world as it is.