In the U.S., freedom of speech or free speech, is the free and public expression of opinions.
Because free speech in the U.S. is without censorship, interference and restraint by the government, many have utilized the freedom to express their opinions and thoughts that are sometimes beyond the boundaries. And sometimes, these result in fake news.
Alex Jones is an American conservative, alt-right, and a far-right conspiracy theorist.
Through his various websites, like InfoWars, NewsWars and PrisonPlanet, he promotes conspiracy theories and fake news. And among the many conspiracies Jones made, include the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in which he claimed that the 2012 incident didn't happen.
He stated "no one died" in Sandy Hook, and that the incident was "staged," "synthetic," "manufactured," "a giant hoax" and "completely fake with actors."
Since that time, many had filed a lawsuit in a defamation case against Jones.
This time, 10 years later, Jones finally admitted that the incident was indeed a "100% real."
The radio host, conspiracy theorist testified that he understands it was irresponsible of him to declare the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre a hoax.
In other words, the InfoWar host definitely thinks that the attack happened.
He made that statement a day after the parents of a 6-year-old boy who was killed in the 2012 attack testified about the suffering, death threats and harassment they had to endure because of what Jones said on media platforms.
The couple's son, Jesse Lewis, was among the 20 students and six educators who were killed in the attack in Connecticut, in the massacre considered one of the most deadliest school shooting in the history of the U.S..
The couple told the courtroom in Austin, where Jones and his companies are based, that Jones and the false claims have made their lives a "living hell."
"Especially since I've met the parents. It's 100% real," Jones said at his trial to determine how much damage he and his media company, Free Speech Systems, made for defaming Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis.
While Jones indirectly admitted that he had done wrong, both Heslin and Lewis said that an apology wouldn't suffice, and that Jones needed to be held accountable for repeatedly spreading fake news about the incident.
For that matter, the couple seek at least $150 million.
At the court, Jones was the only person testifying in his own defense. This is because his attorney told him that it was "absolutely irresponsible" to publish such false claims to way that the massacre didn't happen and no one was killed.
"They (the media) won't let me take it back," Jones said, who portrayed the lawsuit as an attack on his First Amendment rights.
He also said that he has been that "someone that runs around talking about Sandy Hook, makes money off Sandy Hook, is obsessed by Sandy Hook."
Jones also acknowledged his history of raising conspiracy claims regarding other mass tragedies, from the Oklahoma City and Boston Marathon bombings to the mass shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida.
After all, Jones made a lot of money from his platforms, and along the way, he has gained lots of viewers and fans.
In a leaked information, InfoWars business officer once informed Jones that the company had earned $800,000 gross in selling its products in a single day, which would amount to nearly $300 million in a year.
Jones’ attorney asked the jury to limit damages to $8, or one dollar for each of the compensation charges they are considering. This is because Jones himself said any award over $2 million "would sink us."
"The day Sandy Hook happened, Alex Jones planted a seed of misinformation that lasted a decade," the parents’ attorney Kyle Farrar told the jury in closing arguments. “And he just watered that seed over and over until it bore fruit: cruelty and money.”
Jones has already tried to protect Free Speech Systems financially, but the company couldn't sustain enough that it filed for federal bankruptcy protection just a week before this trial.
Sandy Hook families have separately sued Jones over his financial claims, arguing that the company is actually trying to protect the millions of dollars owned by Jones and his family through shell entities.
Born in February 1974, Alex Jones has described himself as a conservative, paleoconservative and libertarian. Others describe him as conservative, right-wing, alt-right, and also a far-right.
His attorney once claimed that Jones is "playing a character" and describing him as a "performance artist".
Jones on his show however, denied that he is playing a character, and called his show "the most bona fide, hard-core, real McCoy thing there is, and everybody knows it."
But in court, Jones tends to agree with his attorney, and that he would rather play safe than sorry.
This is also why Jones who think that any compensation above #2 million is too much, said to the jury that: "Ï think it's appropriate for whatever you decide what you want to do."
"Today is very important to me and it's been a long time coming [...] to face Alex Jones for what he said and did to me. To restore the honor and legacy of my son," Heslin said
"I lost my son. I buried my son. I held my son with a bullet hole through his head," he recalled.
"This is not your show," Judge Maya Guerra Gamble told Jones. "Your beliefs do not make something true. You are under oath."
In October 2022, Alex Jones is ordered to pay Sandy Hook victims’ families nearly $1 billion.