The sale of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ media empire is a major blow to one of the defining independent media brands that ushered in a new era of fringe thinking, mainstreaming conspiracy theories once banished to the edges of the internet.

The Onion, a satirical news publication, won the bid for Infowars thanks in part to the backing of families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, whom Jones owes more than $1 billion in defamation judgments. Among the assets The Onion acquired are Infowars' website, social media accounts and its studio in Austin, Texas.