InfoWars

According to BuzzSumo, the majority of RT articles reprinted on InfoWars were not especially popular. The overwhelming majority got under 1,000 Facebook likes, comments, and shares, and even less engagement on Twitter. The most popular article by far was about a list of “fake news” journalists published by former congressman Ron Paul, with just over 7,200 comments, likes, and shared across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. BuzzSumo doesn't include websites like Reddit and 4Chan in its data. The second-most popular article was headlined, by InfoWars, as "Pope Francis Compares Donald Trump To Hitler." It gathered just under 3,000 engagements. Notably, the headline of the article is misleading. Pope Francis did talk about Hitler's rise to power in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais, but he didn't directly compare Trump to the Nazi leader. Instead, Pope Francis said he'll wait to see how the new president acts before coming to conclusions. RT's headline was, "Pope warns against Hitler-like leaders coming to power on wave of populism." Both of the top articles, along with many others reviewed by BuzzFeed News, include embedded YouTube videos from InfoWars, and the web pages also featured ads for InfoWars products. RT has come under scrutiny after the 2016 US election for its role in spreading misinformation. Twitter recently said it will no longer allow RT to purchase advertisements. The Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russia's interference asked Facebook and Google pointed questions about why content and advertisements from the outlet is allowed on their platforms.

BuzzSumo The ten most popular RT articles on InfoWars according to BuzzSumo.

After noticing RT articles on InfoWars, BuzzFeed News contacted RT to ask whether it runs a newswire that enables other outlets to republish its content. "RT doesn’t have wire services," Belkina said. She sent a link to RT's official copyright policy. The policy says RT has to give explicit permission for its work to be re-printed. She also said InfoWars doesn't have such permission.

InfoWars

RT is known for being selective with facts and it's not clear how popular it is in the US, but right-wing conspiracy theorists and Trump supporters often share links to the outlet. The InfoWars site is well-known, and could be giving the Russian broadcaster another boost and credibility among the audience. Alex Jones is also no stranger to Russian media. He's appeared on RT and even been aired in Russia by a state broadcaster. RT is also often cited as a source by pro-Trump commentators and websites. Far-right website Gateway Pundit lists it under its "GP favorite media" section, for example, and InfoWars editor Paul Joseph Watson often tweets stories from the broadcaster. However, Jones flew into a profanity-filled, homophobic rage earlier this year in response to a suggestion by Rep. Adam Schiff that he and InfoWars are sources of Russian propaganda. "You want to sit here and say that I’m a goddamn, fucking Russian. You get in my face with that I’ll beat your goddamn ass, you son of a bitch. You piece of shit. You fucking goddamn fucker. Listen fuckhead, you have fucking crossed a line. Get that through your goddamn fucking head. Stop pushing your shit," Jones said, in part.