Did Alex Soros, son of billionaire businessman and philanthropist George Soros, say in an interview that he wanted to "eradicate conservatives from the Internet" and that he is "100 times worse" than his father? No, that's not true: In a Wall Street Journal article that featured an interview with the younger Soros, Alex Soros is never quoted as mentioning conservatives on the internet, nor is he quoted as making any reference to himself being "worse" than his father.
The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by The People's Voice on June 12, 2023, headlined "Alex Soros Vows To Eradicate Conservatives From the Internet: 'I'm 100 Times Worse Than My Dad.'" The article opened:
Alex Soros has vowed to censor conservatives and independent journalists online "100 times more aggressively" than his father George Soros.
Following news that far-left billionaire George Soros handed full control over his $25 billion empire to his son, Alex laid out his despotic vision for the future of the internet in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Users on social media saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Alex Soros Vows To Eradicate Conservatives From the Internet: "I'm 100 Times Worse Than My Dad" - The People's Voice
Alex Soros has vowed to censor conservatives and independent journalists online "100 times more aggressively" than his father George Soros.
Alex Soros never said that
Although he was elected in December 2022, Alex Soros was publicly announced as the chair of the board of directors for the Open Society Foundations in a Wall Street Journal article published on June 11, 2023. He is the successor of his 92-year-old father George Soros, who started the nonprofit grantmaking organization in 1993 to support civil causes around the world.
As for The People's Voice claim that Alex Soros said that he would be "100 times worse" than his father, he makes no such comment in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article cited by The People's Voice in its own story. According to the WSJ article, although Alex Soros says he plans to support causes that are typically associated with the left such as abortion rights and voting rights, he does exhibit some understanding toward those with opinions that differ from his "self-described center-left" perspective:
[Alex] has urged Democratic politicians to better hone their message, broadening the party's appeal.
'Our side has to be better about being more patriotic and inclusive,' he said. 'Just because someone votes Trump doesn't mean they're lost or racist.'
Alex Soros also thinks that the allowance for expression has been curbed, saying in the article:
In contrast with some on the left, Alex believes that speech on college campuses and elsewhere has become too restricted. 'I have some differences with my generation in regard to free speech and other things--I grew up watching Bill Maher before bed, after all,' he said, referring to the TV personality and First Amendment advocate.
Lead Stories searched the WSJ article to look for the phrases "100 times worse than my dad" and "100 times more aggressively" that The People's Voice article claims Alex Soros said. Neither appeared in the WSJ article. Alex Soros also does not discuss his point of view on conservatives or "independent journalists" on the internet in the WSJ article.
Lead Stories regularly debunks claims about Soros' father, George. Those fact checks can be found here.
The People's Voice/NewsPunch
The People's Voice is among the most prolific online publishers of fake news. It started as YourNewsWire in 2014 and rebranded as NewsPunch in 2017. NewsPunch has published numerous fake news articles in the past, so anything it publishes should be taken with a large grain of salt. Its Facebook page, "The People's Voice", lost its verification checkmark, according to a 2018 report from Media Matters For America.
