Award-winning investigative journalist John Pilger dies aged 84

Campaigning journalist renowned for his coverage of the Thalidomide scandal dies
John Pilger
Ian Nicholson/PA Wire
John Dunne @jhdunne31 December 2023

Bafta-winning investigative journalist John Pilger has died aged 84, his family has announced.

The Australia-born documentary maker covered the aftermath of Pol Pot’s regime in Cambodia and the Thalidomide scandal along with his war correspondent work.

A statement to his X, formerly Twitter, page on Sunday said: “It is with great sadness the family of John Pilger announce he died yesterday 30 December 2023 in London aged 84.

“His journalism and documentaries were celebrated around the world, but to his family he was simply the most amazing and loved Dad, Grandad and partner. Rest In Peace.”

His son Sam said in a statment on X: "I am heartbroken, nut also very proud and grateful to have had such an amazing sad. He was my hero."

He won an Emmy and a Bafta as well as a string of other awards during his career.

Pilger worked for the Daily Mirror, ITV’s former investigative programme World In Action and Reuters.

In 1979, the ITV film Year Zero: The Silent Death Of Cambodia revealed the extent of the Khmer Rouge’s crimes and Pilger won an International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences award for his 1990s follow-up ITV documentary Cambodia: The Betrayal.

Pilger also made the 1974 documentary Thalidomide: The Ninety-Eight We Forgot, about the campaign for compensation for children after concerns were raised about birth defects when expectant mothers took the drug, for ITV.

Kevin Lygo, managing director of media and entertainment at ITV, said: “John was a giant of campaigning journalism.

“He had a clear, distinctive editorial voice which he used to great effect throughout his distinguished filmmaking career. His documentaries were engaging, challenging and always very watchable.

“He eschewed comfortable consensus and instead offered a radical, alternative approach on current affairs and a platform for dissenting voices over 50 years.

“John’s films gave viewers analysis and opinion often not seen elsewhere in the television mainstream. It was a contribution that greatly added to the rich plurality of British television.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with John’s family, friends and colleagues at this sad time.”

Pilger also campaigned for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been embroiled in a lengthy battle against extradition to the US, and put up the cost of his bail.

Former Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters, who has also supported Assange, paid tribute to Pilger.

Waters wrote on X: “John Pilger. I miss you my friend, what a great man you were. We will carry you in our hearts forever, you will always be there to give us strength. Love R.”

During his career, Pilger made a series of remarks criticising American and British foreign policy and the treatment of Indigenous Australians.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in