LATESTJOHN PILGER DIED ON 30th DECEMBER 2023. THIS NEW WEBSITE IS A TRIBUTE TO HIS LIFE AND WORK, WHICH WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

MARK CURTIS PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE JOURNALISM AND FILM-MAKING OF THE LATE JOHN PILGER

- Tributes -
September 2, 2024

“A giant of journalism” was how Britain’s National Union of Journalists described John Pilger on his death in December 2023.

And a giant he was – a brave and prolific film-maker and a brilliant reporter, with a rare gift for vivid, descriptive writing. But his greatest gift perhaps was in ‘lifting rocks’. In his dozens of documentaries and hundreds of articles over six decades, most often exposing the ruthlessness of power, John became the most important journalist of his generation.

From Vietnam to South Africa, from Cambodia to Palestine, John’s work was committed to holding governments – especially the US, Britain and Australia, too often absolved of criminality in the West, to account for their actions and abuses. That is what true journalism should be about – but, as John knew only too well, rarely is.

He spoke out in support of the vulnerable and marginalised, those in poverty, asylum seekers, victims of war, and Indigenous citizens in countries where they were often seen as “unpeople”.

For years, he advocated for his friend Julian Assange – persecuted by a rapacious US empire for telling the truth, and a touchstone in our era dividing those who commit or defend war crimes from those who expose them.

John’s films brought global attention to neglected issues. After his 1994 film Death of a Nation – about Indonesia’s brutal occupation of East Timor – was screened in Britain, it became the highest-rated TV documentary in 15 years with 4,000 telephone calls per minute made by viewers to the programme’s action line. The film had been “crucial”, said Timor’s first President, Jose Ramos-Horta, after his country gained its independence, “in bringing forward our liberation and saving countless lives.”

Ten years later, John’s film Stealing A Nation documented the largely unknown story of how Britain and the US conspired to expel the entire population of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean in order to build a military base. The film won a Royal Television Society award.

But John was a million miles removed from ever joining the elite club of journalists rewarded by the media and political establishment. He was independent, and frowned on complicit or ‘embedded’ journalism, seeking rather to expose it.

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Media Lens
Media Lens@medialens
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How did John Pilger's writing stand completely apart in delivering such inspirational, oxygenating impact? Part of the answer is that Pilger’s work transcended the dry intellectuality of more academic dissidents. He wrote with their precision and insight, but with an added dimension of passion, emotion and personal warmth.
Declassified UK
Declassified UK@declassifiedUK
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John Pilger's Legendary Career Praised by Fellow Journalists: watch our editor Mark Curtis, who worked with John for decades, reflect on his remarkable legacy
WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks@wikileaks
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John Pilger was a ferocious speaker of truth to power, whom in later years tirelessly advocated for the release and vindication of Julian Assange. Our world is poorer for his passing - may he Rest in Power.
Roger Waters
Roger Waters@rogerwaters
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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.
Stella Assange
Stella Assange@Stella_Assange
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Our dear dear John Pilger has left us. He was one of the greats. A consistent ally of the dispossessed, John dedicated his life to telling their stories and awoke the world to the greatest injustices. He showed great empathy for the weak and was unflinching with the powerful. John was one of Julian’s most vocal champions but they also became the closest of friends. He fought for Julian’s freedom until the end.
CounterPunch
CounterPunch@NatCounterPunch
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A bright star in the firmament of justice has gone out. One of the greatest journalists of our era has passed away. John Pilger was always on the side of the oppressed. He denounced Empire and all its violent predations..
Jon Snow
Jon Snow@jonsnowC4
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John Pilger was a great and steadfast journalist - I am sad to learn of his death at 84.
John Simpson
John Simpson@JohnSimpsonNews
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Very sad to hear of the death of John Pilger. I was fond of him, and I think it was mutual, even though we disagreed on many things over the years. But I admired the force of his writing, even when I often didn’t support what he wrote, and he was always warm when we met..
Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn@jeremycorbyn
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I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of John Pilger. John gave a voice to the unheard and the occupied: in Australia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Chile, Iraq, East Timor, Palestine and beyond. Thank you for your bravery in pursuit of the truth - it will never be forgotten.
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PALESTINE IS STILL THE ISSUEJOHN PILGER"S FILMS AND ARTICLES RELATING TO THE ONGOING DESTRUCTION OF GAZA IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

John Pilger 1939-2023

He set the record straight