This is Fresh Air. I'm Dave Davies. Our guest today has a story to tell about what it's like to work in a disinformation factory. It's the one created by this man.

There are dozens of videos and photos of Obama having flies land on him indoors at all times of year, and he'll be next to 100 people and no one has flies on him.

Hillary, reportedly, I mean, I was told people around her that they think she's demon-possessed, okay?

I'm just going to go ahead and say it, okay?

You might recognize that as the voice of Alex Jones, the force behind Info Wars, the website, radio program, video streaming show, and podcast known for propagating

countless conspiracy theories. Among them, the notion that the deadly school shooting at

Sandy Hook Elementary was a hoax, staged by the government to justify seizing the guns of American

citizens. Josh Owen spent four years in his 20s as a video editor and field producer for Jones and his media company.

His new memoir takes readers inside the frenetic Info Wars Paranoia Shop,

where Jones constantly demanded that his staff churn out stories of the evil perpetrated by the deep state and global elites,

stories based on few, if any, actual facts.

Owens was troubled by the work, but stayed longer than he wishes he had, because the pay was good,

the work was engaging, and while he found Jones a troubled and sometimes terrifying man,

Owens still sought his approval. After leaving

info wars, Owens spoke out against conspiratorial thinking, in writing, and appearing in the HBO

documentary, The Truth v. Alex Jones, and by providing a deposition in the successful defamation

case, the parents of Sandy Hook Children brought against Jones.

Josh Owen's book is The Madness of Believing, a memoir from Inside Alex Jones Conspiracy Machine.

Well, Josh Owens, welcome to fresh air.

Thanks so much for having me.

Jones was based in Austin, Texas, and I thought to get a sense of what life was like working for Info Wars, we would just go with you on one of these reporting trips that you took.

This was one you took with two or three other Info Wars staff members to drive up the Pacific Coast in California and stop at multiple beaches and measure radiation

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