Gateway Pundit, a US far-right conspiracy website, has announced its decision to file for bankruptcy, citing a series of lawsuits related to allegations of promoting misinformation regarding the 2020 election, according to a report by AFP.
The Gateway Pundit Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Founder Jim Hoft disclosed the parent company's move to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Florida, attributing the decision to lawsuits initiated by what he described as "progressive liberal" entities.
Established as a blog in 2004, Gateway Pundit gained popularity by disseminating conspiracy theories on various topics, including mass shootings and former President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in 2020.
Legal troubles escalated when two poll workers from Georgia sued the website over baseless allegations of involvement in ballot fraud.
Additionally, Gateway Pundit faces legal action in Colorado from a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems over fabricated claims of vote rigging. Dominion Voting Systems previously secured a substantial settlement from Fox News over similar false accusations.
NewsGuard, a US misinformation watchdog, has consistently criticized Gateway Pundit for distorting information and propagating unfounded conspiracy theories.
Despite its controversial content, the website has garnered significant online traction, boasting a substantial following on social media platforms like X.
However, Gateway Pundit, along with other pro-Trump conservative websites, has experienced a notable decline in web traffic, partly attributed to social media platforms deprioritizing media content, according to AFP.
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The Gateway Pundit's Association with Trump
In February 2017, Jim Hoft and Lucian Wintrich, a 28-year-old writer and artist associated with the publication, received White House press credentials from the Trump administration.
As official correspondents, Hoft and Wintrich gained access to all press briefings and had the opportunity to direct questions to the White House press secretary.
In the briefing room, Wintrich expressed intentions to report with greater fairness than what he perceived in left-leaning media outlets, indicating a propensity for media criticism.
The Gateway Pundit aimed to counter what they perceived as biased reporting by the predominantly left-leaning press corps and contribute to what they saw as an effort to rectify media bias in the White House press corps.
After President Trump allowed Gateway Pundit reporter Alicia Powe to ask a question during his televised White House press briefing on August 14, 2020, the president of the White House Correspondents' Association informed the Washington Examiner that inviting Powe as a guest constituted a severe breach of the group's social distancing protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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