Failure to fact-check raised in Jones trial
A rising star at Infowars admitted under questioning in the Alex Jones Sandy Hook defamation trial in Austin that he did nothing to fact-check a story he broadcast in 2018 that defamed the father of a slain boy.
“I could have done a better job,” said Owen Shroyer, the host of Infowars’ “The War Room,” who testified Thursday and Friday.
Shroyer admitted he did not fact-check his false claims that Sandy Hook dad Neil Heslin didn’t hold his dead son, Jesse, in his arms after the shooting. Shroyer explained that he was live on the air and didn’t have the time.
“Is that an excuse to defame Mr. Heslin — that you didn’t have time?” asked the parents’ attorney, Kyle Farrar.
“No,” Shroyer said. Jones, who lives in Austin, is one of the most influential antigovernment conspiracy theorists in the nation, best known for his radio show and website Infowars. He has been sued in Texas and Connecticut by families of the children who were killed for defamation because of his claims that the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., was “staged,” “synthetic,” “manufactured,” “a giant hoax” and “completely fake with actors.”
On Friday, questions from the jurors provided the first window into how they’re thinking as they prepare to decide how much money Jones must pay to Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, Jesse’s mother.
“Is there anything you would recant about the Sandy Hook story?” asked Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, reading a question from the jury to Shroyer.
“I would not have covered it at all,” Shroyer responded without delay. Shroyer, along with Jones and Infowars’ parent company Free Speech Systems, were found liable in 2021 for defaming Heslin and Lewis, who sat just a few feet away from the witness stand Friday morning.
“It was not a subject I was familiar with,” Shroyer continued. “It caused pain and long-term negative effects on my career.”
The tone of contrition in Shroyer’s responses contrasted to testimony earlier this week from an Infowars producer who asserted Jones’ right to free speech. An exception was when the producer, Daria Karpova, was asked about Infowars’ decision to put a notorious Sandy Hook denier on the air.
“It was the worst decision ever made by the company,” she said.
Jones himself was not in the courtroom Friday morning. He made appearances for opening statements Tuesday and for testimony Wednesday and Thursday.
As a result of the false claims made on his media platforms, the parents argue, 75 million Americans doubt or disbelieve that the school massacre happened Dec. 14, 2012. For that, the parents want $1 in compensation and $1 in punishment for every Sandy Hook denier, or a total of $150 million from Jones.
The nationwide attention on the trial, which has been piqued by Jones showing up with a symbolic piece of tape over his mouth and with lawyers getting into a confrontation, comes as Jones prepares for two more trials in Texas and Connecticut that will decide how much he has to pay other Sandy Hook families he defamed.
Much of Friday’s testimony focused on the contrast between the ethics of journalism and the loose boundaries of talk show hosting — including arguments on both sides about how seriously millions of viewers of a conspiracy broadcast should take on-air “news.”
On Friday afternoon, Jones’ defense began its cross-examination of a journalism ethics expert hired by the parents to review Jones’ reporting about Sandy Hook.
“Ever listen to Rush Limbaugh?” Jones’ attorney Andino Reynal asked the expert witness, Fred Zipp, director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. Reynal was referring to a conservative radio personality who died last year. “Yes,” Zipp answered. “It’s similar to ‘The Alex Jones Show,’” Reynal suggested. “The fact is, in our nation we have a long tradition of people who sit in front of a microphone and free-associate about what’s going on. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“As long as the ranting is not injuring people, it is perfectly fine,” Zipp responded.