 After working as a teacher for three years, Gaul became a news reporter at the "Times-News" in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, in 1976.In January 1978, Gaul joined "The Pottsville Republican" in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.There, he teamed with Elliot Jaspin on a five-part series on the collapse of the huge Blue Coal Corporation, once one of the largest producers of soft coal.