John Pilger, an Australia-born journalist and documentary filmmaker known for his coverage of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 84.
A statement from his family, posted on X, formerly Twitter, said Pilger died on Saturday in London.
"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," the statement said.
Pilger, who has been based in Britain since 1962, worked for Britain's left-leaning Daily Mirror newspaper, broadcaster ITV's investigative program "World In Action" and for the Reuters news agency.
He won an International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences award for his 1979 film "Year Zero: The Silent Death Of Cambodia," which revealed the extent of the Khmer Rouge's atrocities. He followed that with a 1990 documentary titled "Cambodia: The Betrayal," which examined international complicity in the Khmer Rouge remaining a threat.
He also won acclaim for a 1974 documentary looking into the campaign for compensation for children after concerns were raised about birth defects when expectant mothers took the drug Thalidomide.
Pilger was known for his opposition to American and British foreign policy, and he was also highly critical of Australia's treatment of its Indigenous population.
In more recent years, he campaigned for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has fought a lengthy battle against extradition to the United States.
Kevin Lygo, managing director of media and entertainment at ITV, described Pilger as "a giant of campaigning journalism" who offered viewers a level of analysis and opinion that was rare in mainstream television.
"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," Lygo said.
"He eschewed comfortable consensus and instead offered a radical, alternative approach on current affairs and a platform for dissenting voices over 50 years," he added.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More