I don't like using the phrase "conspiracy theorist" to describe people like Alex Jones, because people like Jones are not "theorists." They're snake oil salesmen.
Theorists would be more like scientists. Building on knowledge with hypotheses, perhaps even testing them with research and experiments with controls, collecting data. ... You know, they check to see whether their theories are true.
People like Jones are only interested in getting an audience to believe them. Tucker Carlson immediately comes to mind, but there are others, such as the former president. During the Jan. 6 hearings, witness after witness testified that Donald Trump knew the 2020 election wasn't stolen. But he kept repeating the lie because it was good for the business of Trump. And he kept doing this even after his supporters began threatening poll workers. Even after they threatened to hang the vice president of the United States.
