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Mitchell Hartman

Correspondent

Mitchell’s most important job at Marketplace is to explain the economy in ways that non-expert, non-business people can understand. Michell thinks of his audience as anyone who works, whether for money or not, and lives in the economy . . . which is most people.

Mitchell wants to understand, and help people understand, how the economy works, who it helps, who it hurts and why. Mitchell gets to cover what he thinks are some of the most interesting aspects of the economy: wages and inflation, consumer psychology, wealth inequality, economic theory and how it measures up to economic reality.

Mitchell was a high school newspaper nerd and a college newspaper editor. He has worked for The Philadelphia Inquirer, WXPN-FM, WBAI-FM, KPFK-FM, Pacifica Radio, the CBC, the BBC, Monitor Radio, Cairo Today Magazine, The Jordan Times, The Middletown Press, The New Haven Register, Oregon Business Magazine, the Reed College Alumni Magazine, and Marketplace (twice — 1994-2001 & 2008-present).

Mitchell has gone on strike (Newspaper Guild vs. Knight Ridder, Philadelphia, 1985) and helped organize a union (with SAG-AFTRA at Marketplace, 2021-23). Mitchell once interviewed Marcel Marceau and got him to talk.

Latest from Mitchell Hartman

  • With the economy in a tailspin, many stay-at-home moms are starting businesses to help support their families. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman reports on these so-called "mompreneurs."

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  • Megabanks like JP Morgan and Citigroup make headlines for their losses, but smaller and mid-tier banks are suffering as well. But Mitchell Hartman explains how the troubles of these banks may differ.

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  • The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will ask for some mercy for businesses today in the form of income-tax relief. This would help businesses get out of their debt and spend again. Mitchell Hartman explains how it works.

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  • Venture capital fundraising was down significantly in 2008 from the year before, and the trend is expected to continue into the new year. Part of the problem is money tied up in other start-ups. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • Small business advocates have been lobbying to get a piece of Obama's stimulus plan. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman explores where some of the bailout money could go specifically to directly benefit small businesses.

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  • With Bank of America seeking more TARP money to ease acquisitions of smaller competitors, can we expect banks such as J.P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo to request more bailout funds as well? Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • The Commerce Department says business inventories were down for a third straight month in November. Businesses put orders on hold as sales continued a downward spiral. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • In a survey out by the National Small Business Association, many members expect deteriorating sales and job cuts. Still, there's an undercurrent of tenacious optimism. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman explores why.

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  • The House is expected to pass a pair of civil rights bills today designed to give workers more power to sue over alleged pay discrimination. Mitchell Hartman explains why now is an important time for fairness law.

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  • Investors looking for opportunity in a distressed market can find it in cheap company debt. But buyer beware: Something put that company into trouble to begin with, and it's wise to understand what. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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