Ex-Infowars Employee on Alex Jones, Lies, and Getting Out

From The Atlantic.

In this episode of “Galaxy Brain,” Charlie Warzel speaks with Josh Owens, a videographer and the author of a memoir about his years working for Infowars, the media company of the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Owens traces his journey from a film-school student who stumbled onto Jones’s radio show to an insider who spent four years filming, editing, and traveling for the organization. Owens describes how Jones’s conspiracy machine works, as well as how his own moral compass was scrambled by Jones’s manipulative management. The conversation explores radicalization, the conspiratorial media ecosystem Jones helped create, and how Owens was able to pull himself out.

This episode of Galaxy Brain was produced by Renee Klahr and engineered by Miguel Carrascal. Our theme is by Rob Smierciak. Claudine Ebeid is the executive producer of Atlantic audio, and Andrea Valdez is our managing editor.

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00:00 Intro
04:11 Falling Down the Alex Jones Rabbit Hole
07:14 From Casual Listener to Employee
12:03 Inside The Infowars Operation
18:17 Does Jones Believe What He Says?
28:46 Lies And Complicity
34:30 A Breaking Point
36:34 False Flags And Sandy Hook
39:38 Process Of Deradlicalization
43:35 Atonement And Taking Accountability
51:27 Hope Through Connection
53:04 Closing Remarks And Outro