Australian journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger dies aged 84
ITV News Reporter Jay Akbar looks back at the life and career of John Pilger
Australian journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger has died at the age of 84, his family have announced.
Pilger was known for his work covering the aftermath of Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia and also looked into the Thalidomide scandal along with his war correspondent work.
He worked for the Daily Mirror, ITV's former investigative programme World In Action and Reuters.
A statement released on behalf of his family on X, formerly known as Twitter, read: "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."
Pilger's career on TV began in 1969 at ITV's Granada Television, on World in Action.
His first documentary - one of more than 50 in his career - was titled The Quiet Mutiny and presented a character study of US soldiers during the Vietnam War.
The report revealed the shifting attitudes of American soldiers to the war and highlighted issues with morale within the US military.
Pilger went on to make several other documentaries about the US involvement in the Vietnam War, including Vietnam: Still America's War and Do You Remember Vietnam?.
In the late 1970s, Pilger entered Cambodia, following the overthrow of the Pol Pot regime, and began documenting the aftermath of the Cambodian genocide.
His ITV documentary Year Zero: the Silent Death of Cambodia drew widespread praise and helped to raise tens of millions of pounds in aid relief for the Cambodian people.
Pilger won an International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences award for his 1990s follow-up ITV documentary Cambodia: The Betrayal.
He 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.
ITV Managing Director Kevin Lygo paid tribute to Pilger, saying: "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."
Others commemorated Pilger's life and work on social media.
Former Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow described Pilger as a "great and steadfast journalist", while Piers Morgan said he was "a brilliant firebrand journalist and ferocious holder of the powerful to proper account."
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