Yesterday, Megyn Kelly tweeted a preview of her interview with Alex Jones which is scheduled to air next week. As you’ll see, this clip touches on some of Jones’ best-known conspiracy theories including his claim that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax:

Next Sunday, I sit down with conservative radio host @RealAlexJones to discuss controversies and conspiracies #SundayNight June 18 on NBC pic.twitter.com/7bVz6Fobf5

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 11, 2017

There was immediate pushback from a parent whose daughter was killed at Sandy Hook:

Hey @megynkelly , let me know if you want to give his victims equal air time. Promoting this fool is bad news. Do not encourage his abuse. https://t.co/WTJjFuSSuG

— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba_MG) June 12, 2017

I promise you it's not riveting. How you you feel if someone shot your kids, some fool said it wasn't true- and I gave him a show? https://t.co/xma9Z30IjW

— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba_MG) June 12, 2017

Here you go @megynkelly – her name is Ana Grace Márquez-Greene. Say her name- stare at this & tell me it's worth it. @nbc #SandyHook pic.twitter.com/mKrU63KWmA

— Nelba Márquez-Greene, LMFT (@Nelba_MG) June 12, 2017

There were also calls for a campaign against advertisers:

This hot garbage better be commercial-free.

Surely, brands don't want to profit off of a 911 and Sandy Hook "truther", right? https://t.co/NHEMSm9rvV

— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) June 12, 2017

Even Chelsea Clinton weighed in:

There is no justification for amplifying lies (or a liar), particularly about unimaginable tragedy. I hope no parent, no person watches this https://t.co/nSt1MGGM2U

— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) June 12, 2017

But despite the pushback, Kelly defended her decision to interview Jones:

POTUS's been on & praises @RealAlexJones' show. He's giving Infowars a WH press credential. Many don't know him; our job is 2 shine a light. https://t.co/5e88BJyqnz

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 12, 2017

Today the Washington Post published a story based on Nelba Márquez-Greene’s objections to the interview:

Márquez-Greene said her concerns weren’t necessarily over Jones but on “the people he inspires.”

Just last week, a Florida woman who claimed the mass shooting was a hoax and sent death threats to a parent whose 6-year-old son was killed was sentenced to five months in prison.

Márquez-Greene said her family frequently receives letters from hoaxers implying that the shooting is a government conspiracy, suggesting that actors had been involved and accusing them of making millions off an Obama-era hoax…

“If they’re going to do the interview, fine,” she said. “But then give us equal airtime to express how dismaying this is.”

For the record, the Newtown shooting is a very real and terrible tragedy. That said, Kelly is not the first person from a major news outlet to give attention to Alex Jones. Just last October, the New York Times published a piece explaining who Jones is and highlighting both President Obama and Hillary Clinton responding to some of his claims.

I guess you can argue there is a difference between describing Jones and interviewing him but in both cases, you wind up giving him more attention. It remains to be seen how tough Kelly will be on Jones but the Associated Press reports Jones is calling the interview “fake news” even before it has aired:

After his interview had been taped, Jones denounced it on “InfoWars” as “fake news, in my view.”

He said he expected a “rigged” report because a day’s worth of interviews will be boiled down to an 11-minute report. “They’re scared of what we’re covering,” he said. “They’re scared of what we’re doing.”

One writer claims NBC is still deciding whether or not the interview will air at all, though this doesn’t seem to have been verified yet:

I've been told there was a meeting w/ NBC PR this AM re Alex Jones/Megyn Kelly interview. No decision yet on whether the interview will run. https://t.co/0EOtSWR5Rv

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) June 12, 2017