Tonite on Nightline: Must See TV

Long before 9/11 and the series of stories about “Why do they hate  us?” there was Frank Gardner. He is a 43-year-old reporter for the  BBC, specializing in security and international affairs. He is the  kind of reporter we reporters and producers listen to when he speaks  of the latest terrorist threats, or intelligence information, or the  motivations of al Qaeda. A year ago, on a reporting trip in Saudi  Arabia, Gardner found himself face-to-face with militant Islam. What  happened that day changed his life forever. Tonight, you’ll hear his  story.

Frank Gardner’s love affair with the Arab world began when he was a  teenager when he was introduced to the famous explorer of the Arab  world, Wilfred Thesiger. After seeing the pictures and hearing stories  about the Arab world of the 1940s and ’50s, he decided to explore a  world that has fascinated him ever since. Gardner is one of few  Western journalists fluent in Arabic, a language he studied first at  university, then on the streets of Cairo, the Arabian Gulf, and even  with Beduin tribes in the desert near Aqaba, Jordan. Armed with a  degree in Arabic and Islamic studies, he took his skills to the world  of journalism. And when 9/11 came along, he was able to travel  extensively to explain the grievances that people in the Arab world  have against the West. His ability to put things in context helped BBC  audiences worldwide.

Gardner used to think his command of Arabic in the Arab world was his  flak jacket, a bulletproof vest, which would protect him from any  danger.

After a trip to Saudi Arabia just over a year ago, he no longer thinks  that way. Tonight in a three-part program, we learn why. His is an  instructive story — not just for journalists who travel to places of  danger every day, but for those who think they understand a place well  — only to find out that there are certain unknowns that, despite  understanding, cannot be reckoned with. It’s a remarkable tale of  intrepid reporting, a love of learning and courage.

Over the weekend, Gardner was given a rare honor, the Order of the  British Empire, bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II, for his service to  journalism. Tonight you can see what that service is — and what price  he has paid.

“In one year he travelled to 28 countries. He’s the sort of guy who will get through a passport because he runs out of room,” he [his friend] said.