John Pilger, investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker, has died at the age of 84

John Pilger, the veteran Australian writer and filmmaker known for his investigative journalism and documentaries, has died aged 84, according to his family.

Pilger’s family posted on their social media accounts this morning: “It is with great sadness that the family of John Pilger announce that he passed away yesterday, December 30, 2023, at the age of 84 in London.” His journalism and his documentaries were widely celebrated. the world, but to his family he was simply the most wonderful and beloved father, grandfather and life partner. Rest in peace.”

His son, journalist Sam Pilger, added to X: “My father died yesterday. I am sad, but also very proud and grateful to have such a wonderful father. He was my hero.”

BAFTA winner Pilger was known for his numerous investigations, particularly into the plight of Aboriginal people, US and British foreign policy and the ulterior motives of big business. Pilger is a leading figure in his field and is not afraid to express controversial views. He has apparently been struggling with an illness since early 2023.

His Twitter bio says: “It is not enough for journalists to see themselves only as messengers without understanding the hidden intentions of the message and the myths surrounding it.”

Pilger was born and raised in Bondi, Sydney, Australia.

In his early years in Britain in the 1960s, he worked for Reuters and the BBC Daily Mirror, where he became chief foreign correspondent and reported from around the world on numerous wars, especially Vietnam. In his twenties, he became the youngest journalist to win Britain’s highest journalism award. Journalist of the Year and was the first to win it twice.

In the USA he reported on the upheavals there in the late 1960s and 1970s. He covered the marches after the assassination of Martin Luther King and was in the same room when Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968.

His work in Southeast Asia produced an iconic song London mirrorwas devoted almost exclusively to its exclusive broadcasts from Cambodia after Pol Pot’s rule.

His television career began in Granada World in action in 1969 when he made the subversive film The silent mutiny (1970), which revealed the changing morale of American troops during the Vietnam War. He then made numerous reports and documentaries for the BBC, ATV and ITV among others. Their numerous awards included the Richard Dimbleby BAFTA Award and the Sydney Peace Prize in 1991.

Among the dozens of critically acclaimed documentaries he made were Year Zero: Cambodia’s Silent Death, The secret country, The last dream, Welcome to Australia, Utopia, Vietnam: Still America’s War, Do you remember Vietnam?, Vietnam: The Final Battle, Death of a Nation: The Timor Conspiracy, The war on democracy And Palestine is still the problem.

His famous non-fiction books include Heroes, distant voices, a secret land, hidden plans, the new rulers of the world And Next time freedom.

Martha Gellhorn, the American author, journalist and war correspondent, previously said of Pilger: “[He] tackled the great question of justice and injustice… Documenting and disseminating the official lies we are told that most people accept or don’t bother to think about. [He] belong to an ancient and infinite global enterprise, the men and women of conscience. Some are as famous as Tom Paine and William Willberforce, others as unknown as a small group called Grandmothers Against The Bomb… When they win, it’s slow; but they never lose completely. In my opinion, they are the blessed proof of human dignity. John has a safe place between them. I would say he is a co-founder of his generation.”

Writer Noam Chomsky has previously described his work as “a lighthouse in often dark times.” The reality he brought to light was always a revelation and his courage and insight a constant inspiration.”

Pilger is survived by his son Sam and daughter Zoe, who are both writers.