The HBO Original documentary THE TRUTH VS. ALEX JONES, directed by BAFTA and Emmy(R)-winning filmmaker Dan Reed (HBO’s “Four Hours at the Capitol,” “Leaving Neverland,” “Terror at the Mall”) debuts TUESDAY, MARCH 26 (9:00-10:55 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
Filmed over four years with unprecedented access, THE TRUTH VS. ALEX JONES chronicles the riveting courtroom drama of two defamation lawsuits brought by Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims’ families against Alex Jones and his website, InfoWars. While exploring the scope and ripple effects of Jones’ brand of conspiracy-minded media, the film follows the families’ legal efforts to hold him accountable for spreading lies about them and their children. The cases culminate in a historic award of nearly $1.5 billion in damages, followed by Jones declaring bankruptcy.
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In December 2012, on the day of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown CT, where 20 children and six adults were killed, Alex Jones began raising questions about the veracity of the attack. His denial of the murders and further fabrications about a government coverup turbocharged traffic to his site, generating millions of dollars in advertising revenue. Jones would go on to share lies about the incident with his millions of viewers for years to come. Filmed over multiple years with the intimate participation of the parents who sued Jones for defamation, their legal teams, a defense attorney representing Jones and unprecedented courtroom trial access, the documentary tracks the families’ battle for truth and accountability following years of painful myths about the tragedy disseminated by Jones and his followers.
Bringing Jones to trial in Texas and Connecticut involved years of effort by grieving parents and their legal teams and culminated in two default judgements of liability after Jones’ team declined to comply with discovery and other court orders. In each state, jury trials were then convened to determine damages. Jones attended the two-week-long Texas trial and took the stand to testify, as did the mother and father of one of the children killed that day. The result of both trials was a combined awarding of nearly $1.5 billion to the families, the largest award for damages in a defamation case in United States history. Jones’ declaration of bankruptcy shortly afterward may thwart the ability of the plaintiffs to recover those damages, but the historic legal precedent remains a significant milestone in holding to account those who spread disinformation.
Featured Participants: Sandy Hook parents Mark Barden, Alissa and Robbie Parker, Neil Heslin, Scarlett Lewis, Nicole Hockley, Lenny Pozner, and Veronique de la Rosa; attorneys Mark Bankston, Chris Mattei, Wesley Ball, and Andino Reynal; Connecticut State Police officer Daniel Jewiss; InfoWars employees Dan Bidondi, Rob Jacobson, Josh Owens, and Christopher Jordan; former school security administrator and InfoWars contributor, Wolfgang Halbig.
Credits: HBO Documentary Films presents THE TRUTH VS. ALEX JONES, an Amos Pictures Production. Directed by Dan Reed; producers, Dan Reed and Marguerite Gaudin; editors, Peter Haddon and William Grayburn. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller; supervising producer, Anna Klein.
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