John Pilger - a hero to the end

The world will be a worse place, without journalist and peace advocate, John Pilger, to shine the light of truth on injustice. Australian by birth, Pilger died on 30 December 2023, at the age of 84. He, initially, rose to fame, for his international reporting on the Vietnam War, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Burma, East Timor, Australia and the Middle East. Together with filmmaker David Munro, he broke the news of devastation in Cambodia, caused by four years of tyrannous rule by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. In America, Pilger was accompanying Robert Kennedy on his Presidential campaign in 1968, when the senator was shot in the Ambassador hotel. Reporting for the Daily Mirror on 5 June 1968, Pilger wrote: "He's the next President Kennedy! said a woman standing next to me. She then fell to the floor, with a bullet wound to the head (she lived)." He also did much to bring to light, the inhuman treatment of indigenous people in Australia. Born in Bondi, New South Wales, Pilger moved to Britain in 1962. The multi-talented journalist, communicated stories of injustice via his work for the Daily Mirror newspaper (1962 to 1986) and documentary films, mainly for ITV. He was also, later, a columnist for the Guardian and New Statesman. Pilger also wrote many books. On the domestic side, Pilger brought the story of the struggle of children to get compensation in relation to the damage done by the drug Thalidomide to national attention. He won a stream of national and international journalistic awards, being declared Journalist of the year in 1967 and 1979. Pilger, though, remained a true advocate of speaking truth to power, a real seeker after justice. "Secretive power loathes journalists who do their jobs, who push back screens, peer behind facades, lift rocks. Opprobrium from on high is their badge of honour," said Pilger, who remained a stern critic of the mainstream media to the end. He particularly loathed those who used their positions to parrot establishment PR, rather than doing the job of bringing the powerful to account. He warned of fake news long before it became a term. Pilger was a peace campaigner throughout his life. Over recent decades, he exposed the tragedies of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Long before the last Gulf War of 2023, he was writing about the crippling sanctions on Iraq, that were killing thousands of children. Always an advocate for the Palestinians, he was campaigning to the end for recognition of the crimes being committed by the present onslaught. He was a passionate supporter of the Stop the War Coalition, regularly addressing rallies down the years. In later years, Pilger stood by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, as he was persecuted, standing bail and visiting him at the Ecuadorian embassy and prison. Unlike, many media people, Pilger stood by Assange till the end. Typically in his final published piece, a month before he died, Pilger, called on everyone to stand up to authority. He called Assange a Spartacus figure. "The Palestinians are Spartacus. People who fill the streets with flags, and principal and solidarity are Spartacus. We are all Spartacus, if we want to be." On a personal note, John Pilger was a great inspiration, friend and support, particularly when starting out in journalism. It was his work that played a major part in inspiring me to want to write. Later, I did research on his films, books and columns. The generosity of time, encouragement and support given by John over many years are something that I will never forget. He was also a strong supporter of the Star, which ran his columns for a number of years. He often contrasted the content of the paper with much of the sycophancy found in the mainstream media. A truly inspirational journalist and human being, he will be sorely missed. A man who remained true to his principles to the end, admired and respected internationally, the body of work he leaves behind will stand the test of time. He was also an inspiration to so many, some of whom he helped along the way.