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Australian journalist John Pilger, who spent most of his professional life in Britain working for publications such as the Daily Mirror, has died at the age of 84.
Pilger, who made his name as a foreign correspondent, reported on some of the most important world events of the 20th century, including the Vietnam War and the death of Dr. Martin Luther King in the United States.
However, he was known for his reporting on Cambodia after the reign of its fierce dictator, Pol Pot, which he reported on for the Mirror and later for a documentary, Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia.
The film chronicles the US bombing of Cambodia in the 1970s – a scandal that had been covered up from the public – and the brutality of the Pot regime.
He also produced a documentary about the victims of the thalidomide scandal in Britain, in which pregnant mothers who were administered the drug gave birth to malformed children, who were left out of a legal settlement by its producers.
John Pilger (pictured in 2001) was known for his foreign reporting around the world.
Mr Pilger’s acclaimed reporting saw him submit dispatches from around the world for the Daily Mirror for more than 20 years.
John Pilger poses outside the premiere of his film Utopia in Sydney, Australia, in January 2014.
His family announced his death via his official profile on X, formerly Twitter, hailing him as “the most incredible and beloved father, grandfather and partner.”
Announcing his death on X, formerly Twitter, his family said he was “simply the most incredible and beloved father, grandfather and companion.”
The statement said: “It is with great sadness that the family of John Pilger announces that he died yesterday, December 30, 2023, in London, at the age of 84.
‘His journalism and documentaries were celebrated around the world, but to his family he was simply the most wonderful and beloved dad, grandfather and partner. May he rest in peace.’
Throughout his career he was highly critical of Western foreign policy, as well as the treatment of indigenous people in his native Australia.
Pilger was born in Bondi, Sydney, in 1939 and became interested in journalism from a young age, producing his first newspaper at Sydney High School.
He left Australia for Europe in the 1960s, traveling first to Italy before joining the Reuters news agency in London. He then joined the Daily Mirror, becoming chief foreign correspondent, breaking momentous stories from around the world.
His work in Cambodia after the fall of Pol Pot’s regime led the Mirror to dedicate almost an entire issue to his fascinating reports.
Pilger later moved into documentary filmmaking, focusing particularly on Australia, with films such as The Secret Country, The Last Dream, Welcome To Australia and Utopia, all examining the indigenous people of his home country.
Year Zero, his documentary about Cambodia, is credited with raising millions of dollars in international aid for the country after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime.
Elsewhere, Pilger reported for the BBC, Granada Television and ITN in the UK and ABC Television in Australia, and wrote a regular column for the New Statesman magazine for more than 20 years.
Its awards include an Emmy and a BAFTA, as well as a Royal Television Society Award for Best Documentary.
This is breaking news, there will be more to follow.