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Information About

John Pilger




John Pilger (born October 9 , 1939 ) is an Australia n Journalist and documentary filmmaker from Sydney , primarily based in London , UK .


LIFE AND CAREER

Pilger's career in journalism began in 1958 , and he has developed his reputation through both his reporting and the various books and documentary films that he has written or produced. He is best known in Britain for his investigative documentaries, particularly those on Cambodia and East Timor . He has acted as a War Correspondent during conflicts in Vietnam , Cambodia , Egypt , India , Bangladesh and Biafra . In all of his work, Pilger has been a prominent and fervent critic of Western foreign policy. He is particularly opposed to many aspects of American foreign policy which he regards as being driven by a largely Imperialist agenda. Those with "pro-American" sentiments have interpreted this as simple "anti-Americanism" on his part.

Pilger is an example of the exodus of Australian intellectuals from Australia to Britain in the 1950s and 1960s which included Barry Humphries , Clive James and Germaine Greer .

He has been subjected to much criticism, with has claimed that the reason why right-wing commentators have invented verbs such as 'to pilger' and 'pilgerize' is because, when faced with the uncomfortable facts about the consequences of U.S foreign policy which Pilger presents, 'ridicule' is the only response they are capable of.


Pilger has a son Sam (born in 1973) and a daughter Zoe (born in 1984).


CRITISISM OF `MAINSTREAM' JOURNALISM

Pilger is a strong critic of the institutions and economic forces that structure `mainstream' journalism. He is particularly scornful of pro-war commentators on the Liberal left, or 'liberal interventionists', such as Johann Hari and David Aaronovitch .


WORKS


Publications

Pilger has written for the following publications:

He has also written for various French, Italian, Scandinavian, Canadian and Japanese newspapers and periodicals, among others, and has contributed to the BBC 's news service.


Selected documentaries



Books

  • ''The Last Day'' (1975)

  • ''Aftermath: The Struggles of Cambodia and Vietnam'' (1981)

  • ''The Outsiders'' (1984)

  • ''Heroes'' (1986)

  • ''A Secret Country'' (1989)

  • ''Distant Voices'' (1992 and 1994)

  • ''Hidden Agendas'' (1998)

  • '' The New Rulers Of The World '' (2002)

  • ''Tell Me No Lies'' (2004)

  • ''Blowin' in the wind'' (2004)



Play

  • The Last Day (1983)



AWARDS

Awards include:


QUOTES

  • "There is no War On Terrorism ; it is The Great Game speeded up. The difference is the rampant nature of the Superpower , ensuring infinite dangers for us all." {Link without Title}

  • "More terrorists are given training and sanctuary in the United States than anywhere on earth. They include mass murderers, torturers, former and future tyrants and assorted international criminals. This is virtually unknown to the American public, thanks to the freest media on earth." {Link without Title}

  • "During my lifetime, America has been constantly waging war against much of humanity: impoverished people mostly, in stricken places." {Link without Title}

  • "In these surreal days, there is one truth. Nothing justified the killing of innocent people in America last week and nothing justifies the killing of innocent people anywhere else." (referring to 9/11 ) {Link without Title}

  • "I know when Bush is lying. His lips ''move''." {Link without Title}



A LEXICON OF PILGERISMS

John Pilger has a distinctive writing style
and tends to use certain words and phrases
frequently.

  • "behest", "at the behest of"

  • "rapacious"

  • "the lies of the corporate media"

  • "status quo", "challenge the status quo"

  • "honorable exceptions"

  • "agenda", "secret agenda", "hidden agenda"

  • "collude"

  • "cabal"

  • "smear campaign"

  • "stifled debate" (e.g. New Statesman, 28 February 2006, 5th paragraph)

  • "clique" (e.g. New Statesman, 28 February 2006, 5th paragraph)

  • "striken nation" {Link without Title} ( The Mirror , 1 Nov 2001)



EXTERNAL LINKS