Andrew Fowler

Veteran ABC journalist Andrew Fowler was a reporter for Dateline in the early years of the program.

During that time between 1985 and 1988, he travelled to countries as diverse as South Korea and Palau.

In the days before the internet, he says Dateline was a pioneer in raising Australians’ awareness of what was really happening overseas.

And it’s a story from Iran in 1987 that he particularly recalls for Dateline’s 30th anniversary.

As the Islamic state rose up against the west, and in particular President Reagan’s US, he describes some of the difficult challenges he faced in getting the story for Dateline.