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HIDDEN AGENDAS
'HIDDEN AGENDAS" is a paperback import and was released in 1998. It's from Vintage and by John Pilger.
704 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
44 people are currently reading
1340 people want to read
About the author
John Pilger
34 books364 followersJohn Richard Pilger was an Australian journalist and documentary maker. He had twice won Britain's Journalist of the Year Award, and his documentaries have received academy awards in Britain and the US. Based in London, he is known for his polemical campaigning style: "Secretive power loathes journalists who do their job, who push back screens, peer behind façades, lift rocks. Opprobrium from on high is their badge of honour."
Pilger had received human rights and journalism awards, as well as honorary doctorates. He was also a visiting professor at Cornell University in New York.
Pilger had received human rights and journalism awards, as well as honorary doctorates. He was also a visiting professor at Cornell University in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 17, 2014
I'm going to break the habit of waiting till I've finished a book entirely before reviewing it in this instance.
There's something so stirring, inspirational and galvanizing about John Pilger's work that makes his writing essential reading for anyone with any kind of interest in world news or politics. I would say the level of informative, incisive journalism on display here puts him head and shoulders above that bastion of liberal dissent Noam Chomsky, as great an admirer of his that I am.
Although it feels a tiny bit dated that is solely down to the fact that I'm reading it fifteen years after its release and not at all down to any kind of literary flaw. It does make you realise just how much has happened in the last 12 years yet how little has changed in the political landscape of Britain at least as far as the prevailing prejudices of the system are concerned.
The sole flaw with this book. as with all Pilger. is that you'll probably not get beyond each page without wanting to take notes for future use in debates, activism or just plain disgruntled arguments on the internet.
Must read.
There's something so stirring, inspirational and galvanizing about John Pilger's work that makes his writing essential reading for anyone with any kind of interest in world news or politics. I would say the level of informative, incisive journalism on display here puts him head and shoulders above that bastion of liberal dissent Noam Chomsky, as great an admirer of his that I am.
Although it feels a tiny bit dated that is solely down to the fact that I'm reading it fifteen years after its release and not at all down to any kind of literary flaw. It does make you realise just how much has happened in the last 12 years yet how little has changed in the political landscape of Britain at least as far as the prevailing prejudices of the system are concerned.
The sole flaw with this book. as with all Pilger. is that you'll probably not get beyond each page without wanting to take notes for future use in debates, activism or just plain disgruntled arguments on the internet.
Must read.
December 20, 2021
It was like a time capsule, given that he goes up to about 1998, but what's scary is that it all still applies! So much of it is still relevant and it's as if nothing has changed since the 90s. It's actually scary rather than sad.
March 29, 2022
Of course it's depressing. You go into it knowing that you will come out of it less pleased with humanity than before. And you do. Shockingly the fact that it is some thirty years old now has absolutely no impact on it's relevance. My main takeaway is apart from knowing more about many terrible injustices in the world, I also feel more able to interpret the information coming in to me. The error of thinking that if all your news outlets give the same verdict it must be the correct one is something this book has cured me of. So well worth reading.
May 24, 2023
John Pilger has to be one of the few genuine journalists left in the world. He is not afraid to tell it like it is. He writes well, his style is clear and lucid, and you never feel that he is harping on about a pet hate. Together with Noam Chomsky, Pilger provides and alternative to the corporate brain washing and media bubbles that passes for journalism today.
What is more, 25 years later, it is still as fresh and inspiring as it was the first time around.
What is more, 25 years later, it is still as fresh and inspiring as it was the first time around.
October 18, 2017
Pilger may be the journalist-equivalent of Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson - where he hits, he hits hard. This book is, for all intents and purposes, practically irrefutable evidence of the collusion between government, the media, and big business. In a sense he elucidates how the distinctions between those three are practically nonexistent in today's world.
March 5, 2018
A thorough lens through the recent history of the world, Pilger gives a lot of his personal experiences and observations, from Burma to East Timor, from Vietnam to the corrupting British media. Though the book is now about 20 years old, the picture in it hasn't really improved, if not gotten worse ( though maybe his positive message for the future remains). In addition to the plenty research Pilger has done over many years of his true journalism career, I think one appreciates his personal touch, and in particular his principled tough stance. A thick book to finish reasonably fast, even if it's quite depressing...
October 14, 2021
Poised, and fast-paced madness eloping into new mind ideation and detailed exploration of media and their impact on masses - sans, impact or respect of honour. Essential reading, from an essential Author. Pilger gives a contemporary lens on the modernities of society amidst the changing history of the world as it unfolds. Explosive, fine-lined reading that leaves powerful thoughts surrounding the duties of trust and being human. Fantastic reading.
June 16, 2023
A requiem for the dispossessed
John Pilger the champion of the downtrodden is in his elements exposing the hideous and insidious agenda of the world right and immoral capitalists to sacrifice the poor at the altar of their profit and greed.
John Pilger the champion of the downtrodden is in his elements exposing the hideous and insidious agenda of the world right and immoral capitalists to sacrifice the poor at the altar of their profit and greed.
October 12, 2016
Powerful stuff; heavy going in places.
November 24, 2016
all the guts and glory the fourth estate is supposed to have, in one man.
August 27, 2019
We consume journalistic opinions on contemporary events almost without realizing it, or perhaps we used to. We expect commentators to express their view, which we then absorb. We agree with it or differ and then move on, often to the next so-called analysis. Of course these views influence our thoughts, but we are critically aware, and accept that not everyone thinks as we do.
It is quite rare to find collections of such pieces, however, rarer to assemble them long after the events they describe and rarer still to produce, as a result, a book which is worth reading from cover to cover. Hidden Agendas by John Pilger is such a book. And reading Hidden Agendas with today's label “fake news” in mind is both and enlightening and rewarding.
First published in 1998, Hidden Agendas collects pieces by its author on various topics, their subjects spanning several decades. There are pieces on the Cold War and, importantly, on the struggle for independence of the East Timorese, going right back to 1974 and the collapse of what was left of the Portuguese Empire. John Pilger also describes his own country’s, Australia's, relations with its own identity and its indigenous peoples. He travels to Burma to describe daily life as well as its poisoned politics and offers analysis that from today's perspective is no less than fascinating. He describes the start of the UK’s Blair era, with New Labour’s leader declaring his intention to realize a Thatcherite dream. We revisit the miners’ strike in the mid-1980s, already viewed from a distance of 15 years. He also touches on the Hillsborough tragedy in a piece on the Sun’s journalism and reminds us that on Merseyside the newspaper is still vilified today because of its coverage of these events. Ironic isn't it that's a contemporary reader can now look back at this analysis from 20 years ago, knowing that for the victims of Hillsborough an inquiry has finally delivered justice, whereas for those of vilified and imprisoned after Orgreave an inquiry is still denied. It seems perverse that justice seems to need deaths.
But by far the most interesting parts of Hidden Agendas are those the deal with the author’s autobiographical accounts of working as a journalist. He begins in Australia, where the media were owned by cartels whose interests they largely promoted. He moved to UK, where something similar was evolving. John Pilger's description of life in the Daily Mirror is thoroughly engaging, and impresses because there is a genuine feeling that the newspaper was interested in truth first and posturing second. He offers a convincing defence of the Mirror’s campaigning style and then laments that by 1998 the newspaper had already become just one of the rest.
John Pilger’s often biting criticisms of the print media are, if anything, even more poignant in today's online jungle. At least the media owners he describes were largely self-declared in their allegiances, to such an extent that the posturing was often predictable. In today's Internet miasma, where populism seems to rule and where the origins of opinions are often hard to identify, it is useful to be reminded by John Pilger that the opinion presented as opinion can never be “fake news”, whatever that might be. Opinion masquerading as “fact” is quite simply a lie.
The political Right has never been impressed with John Pilger’s work. But whatever one thinks about the content of his opinion pieces, Hidden Agendas illustrates that he does not give up on causes. The long, hard and largely unnoticed battle on East Timor testifies to his commitment to justice on behalf of those denied it. And, on topics such as the Hillsborough tragedy, mainstream media, at the time, may even have branded Pilger’s position as extreme, or even as “fake news”, since it contradicted the trumped-up story being peddled by the mainstream media. Reading these opinion pieces by John Pilger, one is presented with the contemporary reality that “fake news” is probably opinion that someone doesn't like, opinion that is more easily dismissed with a label rather than by counter argument. Hidden Agendas also reminds it that the only important opinions of those that are proven correct.
It is quite rare to find collections of such pieces, however, rarer to assemble them long after the events they describe and rarer still to produce, as a result, a book which is worth reading from cover to cover. Hidden Agendas by John Pilger is such a book. And reading Hidden Agendas with today's label “fake news” in mind is both and enlightening and rewarding.
First published in 1998, Hidden Agendas collects pieces by its author on various topics, their subjects spanning several decades. There are pieces on the Cold War and, importantly, on the struggle for independence of the East Timorese, going right back to 1974 and the collapse of what was left of the Portuguese Empire. John Pilger also describes his own country’s, Australia's, relations with its own identity and its indigenous peoples. He travels to Burma to describe daily life as well as its poisoned politics and offers analysis that from today's perspective is no less than fascinating. He describes the start of the UK’s Blair era, with New Labour’s leader declaring his intention to realize a Thatcherite dream. We revisit the miners’ strike in the mid-1980s, already viewed from a distance of 15 years. He also touches on the Hillsborough tragedy in a piece on the Sun’s journalism and reminds us that on Merseyside the newspaper is still vilified today because of its coverage of these events. Ironic isn't it that's a contemporary reader can now look back at this analysis from 20 years ago, knowing that for the victims of Hillsborough an inquiry has finally delivered justice, whereas for those of vilified and imprisoned after Orgreave an inquiry is still denied. It seems perverse that justice seems to need deaths.
But by far the most interesting parts of Hidden Agendas are those the deal with the author’s autobiographical accounts of working as a journalist. He begins in Australia, where the media were owned by cartels whose interests they largely promoted. He moved to UK, where something similar was evolving. John Pilger's description of life in the Daily Mirror is thoroughly engaging, and impresses because there is a genuine feeling that the newspaper was interested in truth first and posturing second. He offers a convincing defence of the Mirror’s campaigning style and then laments that by 1998 the newspaper had already become just one of the rest.
John Pilger’s often biting criticisms of the print media are, if anything, even more poignant in today's online jungle. At least the media owners he describes were largely self-declared in their allegiances, to such an extent that the posturing was often predictable. In today's Internet miasma, where populism seems to rule and where the origins of opinions are often hard to identify, it is useful to be reminded by John Pilger that the opinion presented as opinion can never be “fake news”, whatever that might be. Opinion masquerading as “fact” is quite simply a lie.
The political Right has never been impressed with John Pilger’s work. But whatever one thinks about the content of his opinion pieces, Hidden Agendas illustrates that he does not give up on causes. The long, hard and largely unnoticed battle on East Timor testifies to his commitment to justice on behalf of those denied it. And, on topics such as the Hillsborough tragedy, mainstream media, at the time, may even have branded Pilger’s position as extreme, or even as “fake news”, since it contradicted the trumped-up story being peddled by the mainstream media. Reading these opinion pieces by John Pilger, one is presented with the contemporary reality that “fake news” is probably opinion that someone doesn't like, opinion that is more easily dismissed with a label rather than by counter argument. Hidden Agendas also reminds it that the only important opinions of those that are proven correct.
August 31, 2024
With the extremely sad death of Antipodean journalist, film maker and author John Pilger (JP) in December of last year, I thought it was high time that I started reading some of his work.
John was certainly one of the good guys and his honest and relentless exposing of the establishment’s lies, deceit, and duplicitous corruption, rarely had many equals!
I also couldn't have chosen a better vehicle than his "Hidden Agendas" to embark on my journey on the good ship John Pilger.
We also have to remember that this book was written in nineteen ninety eight, several years before nine/eleven, a decade before the financial crash of two thousand and eight and almost twenty years before Brexit, but it was still so relevant it was scary! In these pages John Pilger predicts the future with an almost Nostradamus type accuracy, as he takes us across history and a geographical who's who of exploitation and human rights abuses on an industrial scale.
He reminds us of the con of New Labour and it's snake oil salesman extraordinaire, Tony Blair, Thatcher's proud legacy laid bare and all before his embarkment as one of the worst war criminals the world has ever seen.
Which in turn leads us to JP’s home nation and the Thatcherite polices and corruption in Australia. The deregulation of the media, which spawns the Murdoch era of media moguls and monopolies.
Reminding us with things like, “impoverished single mothers being a frequent target for Murdoch's papers like "The Sun", labelling them "scroungers" and campaigning for child benefit to be cut, arguing that the saving would allow a five pence cut in taxes. No mention that big business in Britain owes twenty three billion in uncollected tax. Murdoch's companies pay so little tax, papers like "The Sun" are in effect subsidised by the public purse and are scroungers on a grand scale!”
He transports us to Ireland, with both the historical context of the great hunger and Britain's occupation and media blackouts of the six counties covered. With particular interest in things like the Thames television documentary "Death On the Rock" which exposed the British government's "shoot to kill" policy.
Also in depth coverage of East Timor, Indonesia, Burma, Vietnam, Nicaragua and South Africa all of which are victims of American and British imperialism with the arms industry a particular insidious spectre in the forefront of these nations impoverishment and exploitation.
An example used, as the regime in Indonesia sends more and more Indonesian migrants to East Timor, thus altering the population balance, exactly what England did in Ireland!
We’re also taken back to the miners strikes and the concerted effort by MI5 using the Mirror group with the connivance of uber crook Robert Maxwell and Central TV to smear with outright lies and bring down Arthur Scargill. Given what Maxwell did with the Mirror pension fund, egregiously accusing Scargill of financial corruption to which he himself was guilty, is straight out of the Joseph Goebbels playbook!
With smear campaigns also being waged by Kelvin MacKenzie and “The Sun”, used to lay blame at the door of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster and away from the actual culprits, the police.
The same paper enthusiastically trumpeting Thatcher’s propaganda surrounding the Falklands war.
“Hidden Agendas” is still completely relevant today and especially with what’s going on in Palestine/Israel/Iran
Free Palestine! Don’t attack Iran!
Don’t believe the lies!
The fight has only just begun!
John Pilger RIP
John was certainly one of the good guys and his honest and relentless exposing of the establishment’s lies, deceit, and duplicitous corruption, rarely had many equals!
I also couldn't have chosen a better vehicle than his "Hidden Agendas" to embark on my journey on the good ship John Pilger.
We also have to remember that this book was written in nineteen ninety eight, several years before nine/eleven, a decade before the financial crash of two thousand and eight and almost twenty years before Brexit, but it was still so relevant it was scary! In these pages John Pilger predicts the future with an almost Nostradamus type accuracy, as he takes us across history and a geographical who's who of exploitation and human rights abuses on an industrial scale.
He reminds us of the con of New Labour and it's snake oil salesman extraordinaire, Tony Blair, Thatcher's proud legacy laid bare and all before his embarkment as one of the worst war criminals the world has ever seen.
Which in turn leads us to JP’s home nation and the Thatcherite polices and corruption in Australia. The deregulation of the media, which spawns the Murdoch era of media moguls and monopolies.
Reminding us with things like, “impoverished single mothers being a frequent target for Murdoch's papers like "The Sun", labelling them "scroungers" and campaigning for child benefit to be cut, arguing that the saving would allow a five pence cut in taxes. No mention that big business in Britain owes twenty three billion in uncollected tax. Murdoch's companies pay so little tax, papers like "The Sun" are in effect subsidised by the public purse and are scroungers on a grand scale!”
He transports us to Ireland, with both the historical context of the great hunger and Britain's occupation and media blackouts of the six counties covered. With particular interest in things like the Thames television documentary "Death On the Rock" which exposed the British government's "shoot to kill" policy.
Also in depth coverage of East Timor, Indonesia, Burma, Vietnam, Nicaragua and South Africa all of which are victims of American and British imperialism with the arms industry a particular insidious spectre in the forefront of these nations impoverishment and exploitation.
An example used, as the regime in Indonesia sends more and more Indonesian migrants to East Timor, thus altering the population balance, exactly what England did in Ireland!
We’re also taken back to the miners strikes and the concerted effort by MI5 using the Mirror group with the connivance of uber crook Robert Maxwell and Central TV to smear with outright lies and bring down Arthur Scargill. Given what Maxwell did with the Mirror pension fund, egregiously accusing Scargill of financial corruption to which he himself was guilty, is straight out of the Joseph Goebbels playbook!
With smear campaigns also being waged by Kelvin MacKenzie and “The Sun”, used to lay blame at the door of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster and away from the actual culprits, the police.
The same paper enthusiastically trumpeting Thatcher’s propaganda surrounding the Falklands war.
“Hidden Agendas” is still completely relevant today and especially with what’s going on in Palestine/Israel/Iran
Free Palestine! Don’t attack Iran!
Don’t believe the lies!
The fight has only just begun!
John Pilger RIP
February 14, 2009
Described as a "Moral interpretation of world affairs in a cynical age" this book was given to me to read by Steph - who said "You'll learn a lot about dark countries from this Mum". I soon found out that the dark countries included not only places like Burma and East Timor but Western countries such as Tony Blair's New Britain, USA and Oz. Pilger unravels the hidden histories of contemporary events and allows us to read between the lines. It also gave me hope for the future since he wrote about those who resist oppression from the "Big Powers". Will change the way you see the world and a must read for everyone who wants the world to be a better place.
A MUST READ for everyone - this is a book that you should keep on your shelves and read again and again and I do so often whenever I want more background to a country topically in the news.
A MUST READ for everyone - this is a book that you should keep on your shelves and read again and again and I do so often whenever I want more background to a country topically in the news.
June 27, 2009
Hidden Agendas is probably one of the best uncomfortable reads I've come across recently. The book is made up of essays exposing the nature of politics, those who are exploited and those who are responsible. Pilger stays faithful to the 'what's of journalism, carefully backing up the statements he made. It is a type of journalism which could not be criticised easily, due to the nature of the facts. The author addressed the questions of East Timor, the British government's arms business, post-war Vietnam, to name a few. However, reading the book, the 'why' is often left unanswered. This is not a weakness, but the objective nature of Pilger's journalism. Events which happened a decade ago, still fresh in the reader's mind, is still relevant today as it was when it happened. As Pilger says, "Objective journalism is compelling not only today. It stands the test of time."
July 24, 2013
This is such a transparently HONEST book that I personally am surprised John Pilger is still out and about and has not met with some unfortunate accident in a distant land.
But I'm also surprised anyone should divide facts into left- or right- wing facts - as many reviewers would have it. There's only one set of facts, though the media can only be expected to broadcast whichever adaptation is likely to maximize their profits. To expect otherwise is like expecting the food companies to put into snacks only what's healthy rather than what sells.
But I'm also surprised anyone should divide facts into left- or right- wing facts - as many reviewers would have it. There's only one set of facts, though the media can only be expected to broadcast whichever adaptation is likely to maximize their profits. To expect otherwise is like expecting the food companies to put into snacks only what's healthy rather than what sells.
February 14, 2022
Complete critique of modern capitalism from every angle up to 2000
Still quite of it’s time though - a bit dated, even if a lot of it is still applicable to today
especially enjoyed stuff on the mirror and Vietnam, less so the extensive coverage of East Timor which was interesting and shocking, though worth a novel of itself in my opinion rather than taking half of this wider book.
Overall, amazing read though it took me quite a while, and was tricky at points.
Still quite of it’s time though - a bit dated, even if a lot of it is still applicable to today
especially enjoyed stuff on the mirror and Vietnam, less so the extensive coverage of East Timor which was interesting and shocking, though worth a novel of itself in my opinion rather than taking half of this wider book.
Overall, amazing read though it took me quite a while, and was tricky at points.
December 20, 2007
For years banned in Indonesia until turned into an award winning television documentary. The conroversial main part of the book telling, to a large extent,the truth of Indonesia's war in East Timur. Latest international court ev\evidence seems to rpove that most if not all of Pilger's allegations are true. Now available here. A controversial but must read
July 31, 2025
John Pilger's books are always powerful and compelling. Like Chomsky, there are a few case studies he revisits time and again, but I think they bear repeating. For a fourteen-year-old 'current affairs' book the subject matter remains surprisingly relevant. That said, if you're looking for your first Pilger book then 'Freedom Next Time' might be a better option.
November 20, 2017
Loved this book. It's been sitting on my shelf for years. Too busy working full time to read it. Therefore it's a bit old and I'm so sorry I didn't read it years ago or that there isn't an update. A really interesting insight into the world of newspapers, especially in the UK. Also interesting info on Burma and especially poignant knowing what's going on there now in 2017.
August 16, 2018
Perhaps my first foray into what is sometimes dismissed as polemical reporting. It was eye-opening and very credible. Since I have read may more such books... they are worth it to get another view. In a world where presentation rather than content is all it is sensible to review people's real motives. Vested interests reign.
July 10, 2025
Stunning piece of investigative and historical work by master journalist John Pilger. This is a book that should be handed out in school and taught in class. Even decades after it was written it remains shocking, eye opening and a doorway to so many other books that detail the disturbing corruption, greed and amorality of those in power and those whom strive to gain more.
December 13, 2008
Required reading - together with Klein's 'No Logo' and Freidman's 'The Lexus & the Olive Tree'.
I won't opine here; rather simply recommend and ask the gentle reader to decide for themselves.
As someone once remarked, the Mind is like a parachute - it works best when it's open.
I won't opine here; rather simply recommend and ask the gentle reader to decide for themselves.
As someone once remarked, the Mind is like a parachute - it works best when it's open.
October 1, 2024
Essential reading for those who want to see. I wish John was still around to write about the current atrocities in the world. We need more journalists like John Pilger and I’m grateful for the important work he did!
April 25, 2007
I couldn't read this on the Tube because of the rage it made me feel. It's a must-read, Pilger at his best.
August 6, 2007
A very powerful book. This book is great and should be used in the struggle against injustice all over the world.
April 22, 2009
Yes, yes, yes - for we conspiracy theorists who are so often mocked, here indeed is a book upon which we are able to rest our case. Thank you, Mr Pilger, for another job well done.
November 7, 2009
I would give this book a six score if possible.
July 28, 2011
Great research, excellent book.
August 3, 2012
Bring on the revolution! At times almost reads like a conspiracy theorist, while at others genuinely top quality investigative journalism.
September 27, 2018
As Iron Maiden said it: The Evil that man do lives on and on.
Pilger is fantastic. Read and Rage.
Pilger is fantastic. Read and Rage.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews