Classic nineteenth century European imperialists believed they were literally on a mission. I don't believe that the imperialists these days have that same sense of public service. They are simply pirates.

Pilger has twice won Britain's Journalist of the Year Award and his documentaries screened internationally have gained awards in Britain and worldwide and the journalist has received several honorary doctorates. In 2001 while Piers Morgan was editor of the Mirror he returned to his old paper in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. Of the British-American Project for Pilger an example of "Atlanticist freemasonry" he asserted in 1998 that "many members are journalists the essential foot soldiers in any network devoted to power and propaganda.

Since his early years as a war correspondent in Vietnam Pilger has been a strong critic of American Australian and British foreign policy which he considers to be driven by an imperialist agenda. In the British print media he has had a long association with the Daily Mirror and writes a fortnightly columnn for the New Statesman magazine.