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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 (1,998)

New rules for banker bonuses

Feb 7, 2011
Federal rules would pay top earners over several years, so pay could be held back if deals eventually go bad.

Can't get a job, start a business

Feb 4, 2011
The story of one family that traded unemployment for entrepreneurship. These 'rebound entrepreneurs' took a page out of history, literally, to stake their future on a new magazine.

Parsing the numbers of 2011's first jobs report

Feb 4, 2011
The first jobs report of 2011 will be released soon. What economists are expecting in job growth and the unemployment rate.

Temp workers play larger role in economy

Feb 3, 2011
Employers rely so much on manpower and other agencies that temporary work seems a large part of the recovery.

Umpqua Bank: Hip, happening and growing

Jan 28, 2011
The regional bank pulls in customers with lattes, community events, and even virtual bowling. It's becoming a pretty big bank by acting small.

Congress works to cut down business paperwork, at the expense of health care

Jan 21, 2011
Attempts to completely overturn health care reform aren't likely to succeed. But business is expected to score one victory in the process: the removal of a regulation that would have greatly expanded tax reporting.

Wal-Mart gets healthy

Jan 20, 2011
The nation's biggest retailer unveils a five-year plan to put healthier packaged foods and more fresh produce on its shelves. That could mean big changes for growers, food manufacturers and consumers.

African-Americans hit hard by housing crisis

Jan 17, 2011
In the mid-2000s, government programs and risky subprime mortgages had boosted African-American home ownership to an all-time high. But now foreclosures are rampant, and African-Americans are losing ground fast. Mitchell Hartman reports.

AIG prepares to sell 'damaged goods'

Jan 17, 2011
It may take a little while, but AIG is on the road to repaying billions it got in bailout money. But to do that, the company needs to repair a damaged image. Mitchell Hartman explains.

Continued troubles for housing market

Jan 14, 2011
RealtyTrac's report today on housing revealed ongoing troubles concerning the housing market. Mitchell Hartman reports more on the details.