Freedom of speech and the Alex Jones case: has common sense prevailed?
Alex Jones, the far-right conspiracy theorist has been convicted of defamation and ordered to $965 million to the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school victims, and $50 million more to an FBI agent who responded to the shootings, in addition to the court costs.
Alex Jones made a very comfortable living over many years from peddling lies until he was eventually banned from most online platforms, a move that only increased the popularity of his website and his app, InfoWars. At its peak, his site reached over ten million page views per month, and despite multiple calls for brands to remove their advertising, it was, at its best, grossing around $800,000 a day from the sale of products of all kinds that Jones himself pitched, including dietary supplements. During the trial, a court expert estimated the value of Jones’ assets at between $135 million and $270 million.
The so-called “Alex Jones effect” should serve as a warning to others tempted to try his anything goes approach, and that there are indeed limits to freedom of speech, regardless of what the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says. Those who ignore those limits to defame, insult, commit fraud and other crimes now face punitive compensation costs or fines.
