1 thought on “Alex Jones’s Attorneys Argue That No Reasonable Person Would Believe What He Says”
N Dile
Old article, I know, but since this is in the news again, I have to ask… why do you feel the need to lie about Alex Jones? There are plenty of things he’s said and done for real that deserve criticism. No need to invent things.
His statement of defense was NOT “No reasonable person would believe what I say”.
What was argued was that “no reasonable person would believe that the things Alex Jones says are statements of pure fact, as opposed to statements of opinion.”
When a statement is made in such a way that a reasonable person would understand that what was said is the SPEAKER’S OPINION, that statement is generally considered 1st amendment protected speech. However, if a statement is made in such a way that a reasonable person would assume that the speaker is relaying known facts to the listener, then if that statement was found to be false it could be the basis for a libel complaint.
Alex Jones’ lawyers argued that, due to the nature of the Alex Jones Show (which is clearly an opinion show, as opposed to “just the news”), and considering Alex’s reputation for having outlandish opinions, “No reasonable person would believe that Alex Jones’s statements about Sandy Hook were simply statements of undisputed fact, but instead, a reasonable person would understand that those statements reflect the OPINION of Alex Jones. Since statements of opinion are protected under the 1st Amendment, the lawsuit is without merit”
As someone who has watched his show, I agree with the defense. Due to the nature of his show, I understand that what he says is often speculative. NO REASONABLE PERSON would hear his statements on the matter and conclude that it is an undisputed FACT that the Sandy Hook shooting was staged and that the parents are liars. This lawsuit is meritless, as it is the right of every person to formulate opinions about current events and or to ask questions about them (provided they do not engage in libel), and the statements that Alex Jones is being sued over are absolutely clearly opinions and thus protected speech.
Old article, I know, but since this is in the news again, I have to ask… why do you feel the need to lie about Alex Jones? There are plenty of things he’s said and done for real that deserve criticism. No need to invent things.
His statement of defense was NOT “No reasonable person would believe what I say”.
What was argued was that “no reasonable person would believe that the things Alex Jones says are statements of pure fact, as opposed to statements of opinion.”
When a statement is made in such a way that a reasonable person would understand that what was said is the SPEAKER’S OPINION, that statement is generally considered 1st amendment protected speech. However, if a statement is made in such a way that a reasonable person would assume that the speaker is relaying known facts to the listener, then if that statement was found to be false it could be the basis for a libel complaint.
Alex Jones’ lawyers argued that, due to the nature of the Alex Jones Show (which is clearly an opinion show, as opposed to “just the news”), and considering Alex’s reputation for having outlandish opinions, “No reasonable person would believe that Alex Jones’s statements about Sandy Hook were simply statements of undisputed fact, but instead, a reasonable person would understand that those statements reflect the OPINION of Alex Jones. Since statements of opinion are protected under the 1st Amendment, the lawsuit is without merit”
As someone who has watched his show, I agree with the defense. Due to the nature of his show, I understand that what he says is often speculative. NO REASONABLE PERSON would hear his statements on the matter and conclude that it is an undisputed FACT that the Sandy Hook shooting was staged and that the parents are liars. This lawsuit is meritless, as it is the right of every person to formulate opinions about current events and or to ask questions about them (provided they do not engage in libel), and the statements that Alex Jones is being sued over are absolutely clearly opinions and thus protected speech.