Ted Koppel: Trump Ally Alex Jones Is “Spreading The Manure That Fertilizes Conspiracy Theories All Over The Internet”

From the December 17 edition of CBS’ CBS News Sunday Morning:

Video file

TED KOPPEL: There’s nothing new, of course, about using media to commit political slander. In 1796, an anonymous editorial accused Thomas Jefferson of cowardice, of running away from British troops. The unidentified author? The current toast of Broadway: Alexander Hamilton.

Our revered founding fathers could sling mud with the worst of them.

It’s not the nastiness that’s new; it’s the delivery systems.

A radio talk show host by the name of Alex Jones can be heard nationwide spreading the manure that fertilizes conspiracy theories all over the Internet.

ALEX JONES (CLIP): 'Pizzagate’ as it’s called, is a rabbit hole that is horrifying to go down.

KOPPEL: The charge, that Hillary Clinton and her campaign manager, John Podesta, were running a child pornography ring out of the basement of a Washington pizza restaurant did not, as best we can tell, originate with Jones. The accuser remains anonymous. But that story had real consequences.

VOICEOVER (CLIP): Twenty-eight-year-old Edgar Welch, after driving from North Carolina, entered the pizzeria and fired shots from a semi-automatic rifle. No one was hurt. He told police he came to rescue child victim.

Previously:

Alex Jones Deletes Video In Which He Had Told His Audience To Personally “Investigate” “Pizzagate” Restaurant

Alex Jones Scrubs Pizzagate Content; Complaint Reveals New Tie Connecting Shooter To Jones

New York Times: Alleged Pizzagate Gunman Listens To Trump Ally And Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones