My Thoughts on the Megyn Kelly & Alex Jones Controversy

Preface: Recently, for those that don't know, there has been some controversy over an NBC news host interviewing someone named Alex Jones. Alex Jones is notorious because he has a radio/podcast talk show that he hosts in which he discusses his opinions on politics and society. He's generally considered a right-wing talk show host, but he's most known for being a conspiracy theorist. His general mantra is that the mainstream media flat-out lies in order to cooperate with an elite to maintain control over the populace. He's said stuff in the past that ranges from 9/11 being an operation done intentionally by the US and Saudi Arabia to citizens drinking water that's turning frogs gay because of what the government puts in it (that bit about the frog is about as ridiculous as I've seen him go).

However, the interview specifically pertains to him saying in a famous clip that Sandy Hook was a hoax. Sandy Hook refers to an event in 2012 when a man named Adam Lanza went to an elementary school and shot 20 kids and 6 adults. Alex Jones claimed that Sandy Hook didn't happen and that the parents were all secretly paid actors. Here is a clip of him in 2014 saying so if you are interested:

Obviously, Alex Jones' claims (particularly in regards to 9/11 and Sandy Hook) have been very offensive to many people. Fast forward to 2017, and we have his interview between Alex Jones and Megyn Kelly. Since NBC is a big news group and is much more in the public eye than Alex Jones' show called Infowars, there has been widespread calls to not air the full interview on NBC's TV channel. Particularly, a group called "Sand Hook Promise" has been a strong advocate for not airing the interview. Sandy Hook Promise is an anti-gun organization with ties to the parents of the victims of Sandy Hook. Their argument is that an interview would be a "platform" for Alex Jones to speak and would "normalize" what he says. Essentially, they're saying that if people watch him appear on NBC, people will be more inclined to think that what he's saying is right.

Other background information is that Megyn Kelly has said that she finds Alex Jones' comments on Sandy Hook "revolting." Alex Jones has since posted a recording of a phone call he had with Megyn Kelly in which she said the interview is not meant to be a "hit piece" on Alex Jones (a hit piece is a story that intentionally makes someone look bad). So both people who hate Alex Jones and people who love Alex Jones seem to be generally against Megyn Kelly as far as I can see. Additionally, NBC has stated that they will not be airing the full interview on their channel. I haven't heard anything about the interview being available elsewhere for now.

I tried to be as impartial and complete as I could in my background info before I give my opinion. If you're interested, there's a released clip of the interview in this article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/06/13/megyn-kelly-dropped-as-host-for-sandy-hook-groups-gala-over-alex-jones-interview/?tid=sm_fb&utm_term=.111461400439 The clip is from The Washington Post, which is a news group I don't particularly like, but I think the article is fair. And now, my opinion.

My opinion: So people are mad that Megyn Kelly had the interview with Alex Jones because Alex Jones claimed that events like Sandy Hook and 9/11 were hoaxes. Yet in the interview, she was quite clearly not on Alex Jones' side, and she was giving him a hard time. She was trying to get him to give a firm answer about Sandy Hook and not dodge questions. She was exposing him right then and there. So people are mad that talking to him legitimatizes him? Well, sorry, buddy, but that's the wrong approach. You know why he had trouble saying Sandy Hook was a hoax to her? He was not in his little bubble recording studio. He was outside of his comfort zone and on a more public, widely-viewed stage.

Pretending as if conspiracy people aren't there is exactly what breeds conspiracy people. They go off into their dark recesses with only like-minded people and warp reality into this web of everyone lying to them (unless the people talking to them have something to say that supports their claims). I'd argue it's dangerous for people to get scared or touchy about what they consider frightening or ludicrous.

I don't think that those affected by Sandy Hook should have to endure a talk with Alex Jones, but I think what Megyn Kelly did was exactly what I'd want out of a journalist. She asked a difficult person some difficult questions. I prefer that over what I see the rest of the shills in the media doing which seems to be bandwagoning and speculating an easy, common target (Trump).

I'd love to hear your takes on this whole thing. It's very interesting to me, and I love hearing other people's insight. I'm new to the community here, so forgive me if I break any cardinal rules.