Ever wonder...?

This week, Robert Smith of National Public Radio answered the question: “How do you launder money?” Using the recent money-laundering story involving New Jersey mayors and rabbis as a news peg, his entertaining and informative segment walks listeners through the steps.


Today’s Tip: If you’re wondering about something, chances are your audience is, too. Start by asking the obvious question, and see where it leads you.

Asking those sorts of questions has led to Pulitzer Prizes for at least two reporters:

• Gilbert M. Gaul, then a reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer, asked what happens to donated blood. The resulting investigative series won for public service in 1990.

• Richard Read of The (Portland) Oregonian tracked 20 tons of potatoes from an Oregon farm to a McDonald’s in Indonesia. That led to a series looking at the impact of the Asian financial crisis on the Pacific Northwest’s economy and a Pulitzer Prize in 1999.

More recent examples include stories asking what happens to recycled computer parts. The answer: some have led to water contamination in Asia.

Not every obvious question will lead to a Pulitzer, but like Smith, you could have some fun while you search for the answer.