Mitchell Hartman

Correspondent

SHORT BIO

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 Stories (1,994)

NH opposes trend, considers cigarette tax cut

Mar 18, 2011
As many states face dwindling revenue, New Hampshire is the latest to lure out-of-state smokers with lower cigarette taxes -- a move that could fill budget holes.

Situation worsens at Fukushima nuclear complex

Mar 17, 2011
The world is watching as emergency workers at Japan's Daiichi nuclear complex desperately try to regain control of the reactors.

Banks have repaid 99% of TARP

Mar 17, 2011
According to the Treasury Department, six banks have repaid the funds they received from the government bailout of Wall Street, bringing the total bank repayment under the Troubled Asset Relief Program to 99 percent

Report: Netflix to invest in original content

Mar 16, 2011
The Internet and home entertainment delivery service plans to produce and distribute its own "television" show, according to Deadline Hollywood. This is a move that's got Hollywood worried.

Japanese nuclear woes raise concerns over GE designs

Mar 16, 2011
Since nuclear reactors were first rolled out in the 1960s, critics have questioned the safety of General Electric's Mark 1 boiling-water reactors. And in the wake of the earthquake in Japan, GE may face global pullback from nuclear technology.

Iodide pill is hot commodity as nuclear concerns escalate

Mar 15, 2011
Fires at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have caused a run on potassium iodide tablets, one method of protection from exposure to radiation. But many are finding the tablets hard to come by.

Twitter turns five

Mar 15, 2011
The social media network famous for 140-character missives celebrates birthday number five today. In just half a decade, Twitter has become a favorite of presidents, celebrities and revolutions.

U.S. nuclear energy under more scrutiny

Mar 14, 2011
As Japan struggles to control quake-damaged nuclear reactors, lawmakers and leaders express doubts over the future of global nuclear power.

Egypt's economic future up for grabs

Mar 10, 2011
In Egypt, free-market capitalism and a huge wealth gap are under the microscope as parties like the Muslim Brotherhood vie for power.

Egyptian women try to redefine their role after revolution

Mar 7, 2011
The revolution in Egypt has sparked inspiration for some women to try and stand up for their own rights within the Middle East.