Talk:InfoWars
Many of these questions arise frequently on the talk page concerning InfoWars and Alex Jones.
Q1: Is this article biased?
A1: Wikipedia follows the consensus view of reliable independent sources. Sometimes, as with InfoWars, the dominant view is negative. Wikipedia avoids false balance and does not accord undue weight to fringe views. Q2: Should the article describe InfoWars as "fake news"?
A2: Yes. There is clear consensus among reliable independent sources that InfoWars routinely publishes entirely fabricated stories, otherwise known as fake news. Q3: Should the article describe InfoWars as far-right or alt-right?
A3: Both. There is clear consensus among reliable independent sources that InfoWars's political stance aligns with the far right and alt-right. Q4: Should the article describe InfoWars as promoting conspiracy theories?
A4: Yes. There is clear consensus among reliable independent sources that InfoWars promotes conspiracies, most notably the false claim that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a false-flag operation. Q5: Does the number of editors who complain about bias on the talk page, or the frequency of complaints, matter?
A5: No. WP:CONSENSUS does not work that way. Please refer to Q1 for more information on the requirements for a post to merit consideration. It should cite reliable sources that contradict the status quo. Single purpose accounts are often recognized as not being here to build the encyclopedia, a valid block reason. Editing is a privilege to work on the project where free speech does not apply. Posts considered to violate policies (including WP:NOTFORUM) may be ignored, collapsed or deleted (WP:TPO). |
![]() | The contentious topics procedure applies to this page. This page is related to post-1992 politics of the United States and closely related people, which has been designated as a contentious topic. Editors who repeatedly or seriously fail to adhere to the purpose of Wikipedia, any expected standards of behaviour, or any normal editorial process may be blocked or restricted by an administrator. Editors are advised to familiarise themselves with the contentious topics procedures before editing this page. |
This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the InfoWars article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject. |
Article policies
|
Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL |
Archives: 1, 2Auto-archiving period: 30 days ![]() |
![]() | Discussions on this page often lead to previous arguments being restated. Please read recent comments, look in the archives, and review the FAQ before commenting. |
![]() | This topic contains controversial issues, some of which have reached a consensus for approach and neutrality, and some of which may be disputed. Before making any potentially controversial changes to the article, please carefully read the discussion-page dialogue to see if the issue has been raised before, and ensure that your edit meets all of Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. Please also ensure you use an accurate and concise edit summary. |
![]() | This article is of interest to multiple WikiProjects. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details.
|
![]() | This article has been mentioned by a media organization:
|
Let's review, shall we?
Let's review for our newly-arrived Infowars/Newswars/Prison Planet minions, shall we? Alex Jones claims that the US government kidnaps children and makes them slaves at our martian colony, that kids are only pretending to get shot at school and their parents are only pretending to grieve, that Michelle Obama is really a man, that Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame was killed to boost DVD sales, that the coming New World Order is a demonic high-tech tyranny formed by satanist elites who are using selective breeding to create a supreme race, that tap water is turning frogs gay, that Coronavirus is a hoax, that 5G networks create Coronavirus within human cells (no explanation about the conflict between those last two), that Temple of Baal arches will be erected in multiple cities around the world Real Soon Now, that the Democratic party runs a pedophile ring through pizza shops, that the US government commits acts of terrorism against its own citizens, that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are literally demons from hell, that the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami were a government plot, that Obama wanted to detonate a nuclear bomb in Charleston, South Carolina, that FEMA runs concentration camps, that the US is being invaded by South American walruses... Sounds legit to me! --Guy Macon (talk) 12:53, 21 September 2020 (UTC)
Comments / questions
- Q: Isn't Jones just an actor playing a role without actually believing all of that?
- A: It doesn't matter. Millions pf people read his webpage, some believe it, and a tiny percentage go to Wikipedia to set us straight. --Guy Macon (talk) 12:53, 21 September 2020 (UTC)
- Q: Why doesn't this page cover the bit about gay frogs?
- A: We only cover those things Alex Jones says that have significant coverage in reliable sources. --Guy Macon (talk) 12:53, 21 September 2020 (UTC)
- Q: OK, all that other stuff is just silly, but the bit about South American walruses is real!
- A: No it isn't. --Guy Macon (talk) 12:53, 21 September 2020 (UTC)
- Q If there is no evidence of Alex Jones labeling himself a “far right” person and he also speaks badly about Trump and other republican representatives is he labeled “far right’” here based on unfounded opinion alone?
- Q it was recently proven that some of Alex Jones outlandish statements are true such as the fact that Jared kushner’s dad set him up with a prostitute in a sting operation, and the NXIVM cult, so if some of what he says is true and some of it is false, how is he any different than any other media outlet and shouldn’t the label conspiracy theorist be removed as things are fact checked and being proven? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dlacrone (talk • contribs) 09:15, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
- Because a broken clock is right twice a day, its still broken.Slatersteven (talk) 10:17, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
This is why I give maybe two warnings (if that) before blocking anyone who tries to defend InfoWars as an RS on grounds of WP:NOTHERE and WP:CIR. Ian.thomson (talk) 19:39, 21 February 2019 (UTC)
- Everyone knows the slave colony is on planet Invisibilia that the New World Order has blocked from view with light-bending technology. The rest is probably true. O3000 (talk) 19:44, 21 February 2019 (UTC)
- I thought it was on Nibiru? Guy (Help!) 20:25, 21 February 2019 (UTC)
- You would say that, wouldn't you? (mocking) Nibaru! What an obvious false flag to hide THE TRUTH! --Guy Macon (talk) 00:59, 22 February 2019 (UTC)
- InfoWars defenders are why I no longer have a button to email me on my user page. Words cannot describe how bizarre their messages are, but they seemed to figure out that emailing editors instead of posting directly on user talk pages lets them get away with harassment. Brendon the Wizard ✉️ ✨ 12:20, 12 March 2019 (UTC)
- I thought it was on Nibiru? Guy (Help!) 20:25, 21 February 2019 (UTC)
I get that there are stories infowars may have fabricated but there are multiple videos of CNN telling “witnesses” exactly what to say, making up stories etc. Just confused on why that’s not described as “fake news” as well. Flyingchiimp12 (talk) 13:03, 18 February 2020 (UTC)
- And what great source gave you that idea? O3000 (talk) 13:14, 18 February 2020 (UTC)
- [fake video redacted] here's just one of the many great examples. Google apparently blocks you from (easily) finding this video on their search engine so I had to use duckduckgo but if you do some research you can find all the moments of proven fake news you'd like. I'd also be happy to keep supplying links if need be.Flyingchiimp12 (talk) 00:55, 19 February 2020 (UTC)
- Flyingchiimp12, that stupid video proves nothing at all, and it looks fake as hell. If you want to play here, you will have to acquaint yourself with guidelines like WP:RS, but more than that, you probably need to develop some common sense and educate yourself on what constitutes "evidence", and what kinds of things one probably shouldn't believe. I fear for you. Drmies (talk) 01:00, 19 February 2020 (UTC)
- lmaoo ok it’s obvious no amount of evidence will change your bias against Jones. Go ahead and google “project veritas CNN” and there’s even a page for CNN controversies on Wikipedia. I’m not even that big of an Alex Jones guy but the fact that he’s listed explicitly as “fake news” and not something like, “many claim he is fake news” just shows this is trying to push a narrative instead of being impartial like it should be. As much as you guys will deny it, Jones has been right about things the rest of the media won’t talk about, e.g. Epstein being a pedophile. I fear you as well. Flyingchiimp12 (talk) 21:13, 20 February 2020 (UTC)
- Flyingchiimp12 has been blocked. O3000 (talk) 22:11, 20 February 2020 (UTC)
- lmaoo ok it’s obvious no amount of evidence will change your bias against Jones. Go ahead and google “project veritas CNN” and there’s even a page for CNN controversies on Wikipedia. I’m not even that big of an Alex Jones guy but the fact that he’s listed explicitly as “fake news” and not something like, “many claim he is fake news” just shows this is trying to push a narrative instead of being impartial like it should be. As much as you guys will deny it, Jones has been right about things the rest of the media won’t talk about, e.g. Epstein being a pedophile. I fear you as well. Flyingchiimp12 (talk) 21:13, 20 February 2020 (UTC)
- Flyingchiimp12, that stupid video proves nothing at all, and it looks fake as hell. If you want to play here, you will have to acquaint yourself with guidelines like WP:RS, but more than that, you probably need to develop some common sense and educate yourself on what constitutes "evidence", and what kinds of things one probably shouldn't believe. I fear for you. Drmies (talk) 01:00, 19 February 2020 (UTC)
- [fake video redacted] here's just one of the many great examples. Google apparently blocks you from (easily) finding this video on their search engine so I had to use duckduckgo but if you do some research you can find all the moments of proven fake news you'd like. I'd also be happy to keep supplying links if need be.Flyingchiimp12 (talk) 00:55, 19 February 2020 (UTC)
Agreed The article has several errors as well as unfounded criticisms. If InfoWars is to be labeled "fake news" it serves that all media entries on Wikipedia ie CNN FOX NEWS NY Times et Al should be labeled "Fake News" as well. "Alternative" "Libertarian" or "Online" would be more accurate describers of the type of "News" site InfoWars is. The authors sources, though numerous are suspect for their factuality. This entry requires several edits. Justkmill (talk) 05:26, 19 March 2020 (UTC)
- Do you have any reliable sources for these claims? Libertarianism is a philosophy, not a euphemism. — Newslinger talk 05:30, 19 March 2020 (UTC)
What is absolutely biased about this page, is that only the mainstream view is considered correct. If the mainstream claims that Infowars is fake news, then Wikipedia states that it is fact. Since when do mainstream views become fact? There is plenty of evidence of other media outlets being "fake news", but the source of proof is not accepted by Wikipedia since the mainstream media disagrees. When it was believed by the majority of people that the Earth was flat, Wikipedia would have been in agreement. JKJ2 (talk) 14:52, 11 September 2020 (UTC)
- They don't become facts, they do however represent the mainstream view, which is what wp:weight says we should do. And you are correct, yes we would have had to stick with the mainstream view the earth was flat. After all can you prove that Alex Jones is not a space lizard in disguise? If not should he say he is one?Slatersteven (talk) 16:46, 11 September 2020 (UTC)
- Wikipedia absolutely is biased. Wikipedia reports what independent reliable sources say about a subject. That's called "verifiability". When there are alternative points of view held by reliable sources, Wikipedia reports the viewpoints of significant groups relative to how much coverage those viewpoints have in reliable sources. That is called "weight.
- Yes, there are tiny minorities who believe the Earth is flat, the Bushs and British royal family are space aliens, humans don't need food to survive, InfoWars (with reports of slave colonies on Mars and such) is meaningfully accurate, etc. In each case, the consensus of the sane world is that these stories are nonsense on stilts.
- Yes, there was a time (thousands of years ago) when Wikipedia would have verifiably said "the Earth is flat". Wikipedia also would have correctly reported on the widely held consensus on the size of the Earth, contrary to Columbus's massive error in the 15th century.
- Today, Wikipedia neutrally and verifiably reports that InfoWars is a fake news site, because that's what independent reliable sources say. - SummerPhDv2.0 17:31, 11 September 2020 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 9 November 2020
![]() | This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request. |
Remove "Fake News" from the description. I've never heard of a "fake news website". Calling it conspiracy theories is reasonable, but many publications have put out "Fake News" and have not retracted their statements and are not labeled as such here. It's political and derisive and unnecessary to explain what InfoWars is. 47.200.13.231 (talk) 02:11, 9 November 2020 (UTC)
Not done Read the FAQ at the top of this page. Ixocactus (talk) 02:41, 9 November 2020 (UTC)
This article cannot claim a neutral point of view
The claim that this article is of a neutral point-of-view is horrendously untrue. This claim hinges on the assumption that the sources are "reliable". Yet it blissfully fails to address that the vast majority of citations derive from sources that indisputably skew left. The lens through which this article is written is thusly warped and will stand as unreliable (biased) until rectified. This is an egregious and dangerous example of cherrypicking sources. And, unyielding to criticism, many editors are relentlessly safeguarding this article, feeling justified under this haven of cherrypicked sources.
To highlight an example, the FAQ claims justifiability in describing InfoWars as a "fake news" website due to these sources: Vox, The New York Daily News, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, CBS News and The Statesman – 100% of which are invariably left-leaning. Yet the FAQ generalizes its claim of neutrality to the entire article. Furthermore, there are indubitably defenses against these some of these claims, yet they are left out of this article (presumably since they must be "intrinsically unreliable").
To preemptively dispel ad-hominem rebuttals, I, personally, am not even conservative politically, but I do believe that overwhelming bias on an "encyclopedic" article is damaging to intellectual discourse. I admit having little faith that this will be improved, especially since the co-founder of Wikipedia himself attests that Wikipedia's neutral point-of-view policy "is dead". But I hope to leave this here – as a civil statement, mind you – for anyone who is rightly skeptical of this article.
Gdgd.pp.0 (talk) 10:46, 12 November 2020 (UTC)
- "left" and "unreliable" are not synonymous. Also talk pages are not for "making statements" THEY ARE TO DISCUSS IMPROVEMENTS.Slatersteven (talk) 10:48, 12 November 2020 (UTC)
- I do not claim "left" and "unreliable" are synonymous; I claim that the article is biased and therefore unreliable. Having left sources are great as long as the list of citation is not one-sided. Also, I thought the improvements to be made were sufficiently implied, but I will state explicitly: balance the citations with more right-leaning sources to clear the obvious editorial bias & consider adding a small section to recognize the dissenting claims.
- --Gdgd.pp.0 (talk) 11:01, 12 November 2020 (UTC)
- Have you any sources or information in mind you would like to include?Slatersteven (talk) 11:03, 12 November 2020 (UTC)
- As for "fake news", do you have any sources that say it does not publish fake news?Slatersteven (talk) 11:03, 12 November 2020 (UTC)
- I'll see to collecting some, will (hopefully) get back soon. --Gdgd.pp.0 (talk) 11:06, 12 November 2020 (UTC)
- It is worth noting that WP:NEUTRAL does not mean presenting as many right-wing sources as there are left-wing sources to create a "balance". It does not even mean that Wikipedia should have a centrist bias (which, incidentally, does exist). It means using sources that credibly state something as it is. If they establish that InfoWars is fake news, then it is not opinion for us to state that it is fake news. In this case, saying that InfoWars is not fake news actually is opinion. FreeMediaKid! 03:59, 16 November 2020 (UTC)
- I will reserve judgement on the merits of their sources until when they present them.Slatersteven (talk) 10:15, 16 November 2020 (UTC)
- It is worth noting that WP:NEUTRAL does not mean presenting as many right-wing sources as there are left-wing sources to create a "balance". It does not even mean that Wikipedia should have a centrist bias (which, incidentally, does exist). It means using sources that credibly state something as it is. If they establish that InfoWars is fake news, then it is not opinion for us to state that it is fake news. In this case, saying that InfoWars is not fake news actually is opinion. FreeMediaKid! 03:59, 16 November 2020 (UTC)
- I'll see to collecting some, will (hopefully) get back soon. --Gdgd.pp.0 (talk) 11:06, 12 November 2020 (UTC)
- Your comment omitted quite a few sources cited in the article, including two high-quality academic publications that describe InfoWars as a fake news website:
- Nelson, Jacob L; Taneja, Harsh (October 2018). "The small, disloyal fake news audience: The role of audience availability in fake news consumption". New Media & Society. 20 (10). Sage Publications: 4. doi:10.1177/1461444818758715. S2CID 52986600. Retrieved October 9, 2020 – via ResearchGate.
- Fleming, Nic (June 17, 2020). "Coronavirus misinformation, and how scientists can help to fight it". Nature. 583 (7814): 155–156. Bibcode:2020Natur.583..155F. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-01834-3. PMID 32601491. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- — Newslinger talk 10:36, 16 November 2020 (UTC)
- - I do not claim "left" and "unreliable" are synonymous - I do, but I use sources that I consider to be to the left because editing Wikipedia requires consensus among editors. I may find the editorial slant and even the news slant of some of the sources I use distasteful, but I still use them until I can better sources that will meet with consensus on reliability.
- That said, there are two so called "reliable sources" that I will never use. Two of them are ones that I am all too familiar with and I don't use them because they are completely biased and utterly terrible. They only get RS status because it is a rite of political correctness to genuflect before them. I won't mention them here, but you will never see me use them.
- I won't use InfoWars, because I don't know much about them except that they get a bad rep. If they could improve said reputation, I might seek them out. 47.137.178.203 (talk) 06:50, 30 November 2020 (UTC)
- Wikipedia controversial topics
- C-Class politics articles
- Low-importance politics articles
- C-Class American politics articles
- Unknown-importance American politics articles
- American politics task force articles
- WikiProject Politics articles
- C-Class United States articles
- Low-importance United States articles
- C-Class United States articles of Low-importance
- WikiProject United States articles
- C-Class Conservatism articles
- Low-importance Conservatism articles
- WikiProject Conservatism articles
- C-Class Skepticism articles
- Mid-importance Skepticism articles
- WikiProject Skepticism articles
- C-Class Journalism articles
- Low-importance Journalism articles
- WikiProject Journalism articles
- C-Class Media articles
- Low-importance Media articles
- WikiProject Media articles
- C-Class Alternative Views articles
- Low-importance Alternative Views articles
- WikiProject Alternative Views articles
- C-Class Websites articles
- Mid-importance Websites articles
- C-Class Websites articles of Mid-importance
- C-Class Computing articles
- Unknown-importance Computing articles
- All Computing articles
- All Websites articles
- Wikipedia pages referenced by the press