Knowledge Fight – a podcast which catalogues the lies, conspiracy theory and misinformation of Alex Jones and Infowars, has today been named the 2023 recipient of the Ockham Award for Skeptical Activism.
Knowledge Fight is the long-running podcast that dissects right-wing propagandist Alex Jones, and through that lens attempts to shine light on the larger community of extremists he exists within. Created in January 2017 by Dan Friesen and Jordan Holmes, it has amassed a huge and dedicated fanbase, and has become an essential repository for understanding the conspiracy theory ecosystem of Alex Jones and Infowars.
In 2018, when parents of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting sued Jones for defamation over his claims that the incident was “staged”, Knowledge Fight’s Dan Friesen was invited to give expert testimony as part of the case, which eventually resulted in Jones losing the case.
Michael Marshall said: “Knowledge Fight is a superb example of the importance of tracking and documenting misinformation. Many people have dismissed Alex Jones over the years as a bizarre and kooky character. In doing so, they have allowed his more ridiculous and outlandish statements to distract them from the real harm and impact of his decades of conspiracy theory extremism. By listening to what Alex Jones actually says, and keeping track of the figures in his orbit, Knowledge Fight have shown that he is far from harmless.
“The value of developing such a detailed understanding and encyclopaedic knowledge of people like Alex Jones was shown not just in the Sandy Hook case – where for the first time Jones has faced some genuine accountability – but also in demonstrating his links to the extremists who stormed the Capitol and attempted to overthrow the US government.
“For putting together so comprehensive a picture of Alex Jones’ world, and for delivering that deep insight in a format that keeps the audience entertained as well as informed, we’re delighted to award the 2023 Ockham Award for skeptical activism to the Knowledge Fight podcast.”
The ‘Skeptical Activism’ award was announced as part of The Skeptic’s annual Ockham Awards at a ceremony that took place during Saturday’s QED conference on science and skepticism, in Manchester. Also awarded during the event was the 2023 Rusty Razor award for pseudoscience, which went to cardiologist and anti-vaccine influencer Dr Aseem Malhotra.
