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靠网络谣言发横财,琼斯商业模式濒临毁灭(观点,中英对照)

Opinion: Making a fortune by telling lies: Alex Jones' business model and its downfall
来源: 大中网/096.ca 南茜(Nancy Jin)
极右翼电台主持人和著名阴谋论鼓吹者艾利克斯。琼斯必须向在桑迪胡克小学枪击案中丧生的一名学生的父母支付5000 万美元赔偿款,其中包括 500 万美元的一般损失赔偿和 4500 万美元的惩罚性损失赔偿。琼斯多年来散布有关枪击事件是一场恶作剧的谣言,而得克萨斯州法院的这一巨额判决是对因此而遭受巨大精神伤害的受害者的补偿,也是向对利用虚假信息和他人痛苦而牟利的恶劣行径发出的警告。 与此同时,该判决也让琼斯和他公司的巨额金融资产成为关注焦点,并引发了人们对日益猖獗的社会现象之担忧,既阴谋论鼓吹者可以通过肆无忌惮地传播他们的虚假信息而大发横财。

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The far-right radio host and prominent conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who spread rumors for years that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax, must pay $50 million to the parents of a student killed at the shooting– including $5 million in general damage and $45 million in punitive damage. The Texas court has awarded massive damages for the sufferings Jones had put the parents through, intending to deter egregious conduct that monetizes false information and exploits victims' pain. Meanwhile, it has put Jones and his company's enormous financial assets under the spotlight, raising concerns over a disturbing trend that conspiracy promoters can get remarkably wealthy as they recklessly spread information that they know was false.

琼斯和他的公司的商业模式是靠传播阴谋论、谎言和虚假信息获利,而这种商业行为会被任何传统媒体所唾弃。 他在互联网脱口秀中谎称2013年的波士顿马拉松爆炸案是联邦调查局制造的骗局,并称布什政府策划了 9 月 11 日的恐袭。 他还大肆散布谣言称美国当局为通过枪支管制法而策划了桑迪胡克小学大规模枪击事件,意指那些遭受了令人肝肠断裂的之失子之痛的父母捏造了整个事件。 在依据事实,揭露真相的调查新闻业面临前所未有的信任危机之际,琼斯这类的阴谋论却赢得了广泛的市场青睐,吸引着数百万计让他财星高照的粉丝们。



Jones and his company embraced a business model that relied on disseminating conspiracies, lies, and disinformation, which would be deplorable for any conventional media. Through his internet radio talk shows, he falsely claimed that the FBI staged the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 and that the Bush administration orchestrated the Sept 11 attacks. He aired the falsehood that the authorities engineered Sandy Hook mass shooting to pass gun control laws, implying that parents who endured heart-wrenching loss fabricated their stories. At a time when truth-finding journalism grapples with the crisis in trust, Jones' conspiracy broadcast has gained traction, attracting millions of followers that have paved his wealth path.

社会学和心理学研究表明,人类极易被狂想和阴谋论所左右,并且有笃信和散布负面新闻以及令人惊诧之信息的倾向。其算法推崇那些耸人听闻的内容和张贴的互联网和社交媒体只会助长消费和传播谎言之浪潮,导致虚假的传播速度远远超过真实信息。 对与新闻报道相关的推文进行的研究发现,与真实信息相比,虚假信息传播速度更快范围更广更远,比如虚假政治信息的传播速度是所有其他类型新闻的三倍。



Studies in sociology and psychology show human beings are prone to wild ideas and conspiracy and have a bias in sharing negative over positive news and surprising over unsurprising stories. With an algorithm to prioritize sensational content, the Internet and social media have only fueled the sentiment to consume and disseminate lies, causing the spread of falsity to outpace the truth rapidly. Research examining tweets related to news stories has found that fake news reach more people sooner and spread further and wider than truth, usually by multiples of magnitude, with false political information disseminating three times faster than all other types of news.

这种人性的潜在缺陷一直是阴谋论者的福音。 琼斯利用谎言的力量以及美国近几十年来最大规模暴力悲剧事件将他的粉丝推向了狂热,为他创造了巨额财富。 琼斯的估计总资产达到了 2.7 亿美元,去年达到创纪录的 6490 万美元,每周入账接近 400 万美元。 他的阴谋论却却给社会带来灾难性后果,除了给受害者带来巨大痛苦,还助长了社会进一步走向两极分化。 随着琼斯的巨额经济收益吸引了其他阴谋论追随者,使那些从反疫苗到否认气候变化的倡导者的言论在网上蓬勃发展。



This humanity's potential flaw has been a boon to conspiracy theorists. Jones has harnessed the power of lies and exploited the traumatic mass violence in recent decades in America, driving his fans into a frenzy that has brought him massive wealth. Jones' estimated total assets reached $270 million, with a record avenue of $64.9 million last year, at almost $4 million revenue weekly. His conspiracies have created devastating social consequences, inflicting pain on the victims and fueling the growth of a polarized society. As Jones' massive financial gain lured other conspiracy-theory fomenters in droves, advocates for radical conspiracy ideas -- from anti-vaccine to climate change denial thrive online.

德克萨斯州法院的判决具有深远的社会影响。在巨额赔偿判决和即将到来的多重法律纠纷之后,琼斯宣布其公司破产,意味着其所采用的通过散布谣言而获取暴利的商业模式站不住脚,并将迟早面临失败的下场。 更重要的是,法院的裁决给全社会敲响了警钟,提醒人们不要陷入威胁民主社会极其福祉的阴谋论和假新闻的误区之中。



The Texas court verdict has profound social implications. Jones has claimed for bankruptcy – with the outsized damage awards and multiple legal troubles ahead, indicating that the business model his company embraced -- raking in a bonanza by spreading lies – is unsustainable and will meet a spectacular demise. More importantly, the court ruling has sounded an alarm bell, raising awareness against conspiracies and fake news that threaten our democracy and society's wellbeing.

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