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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)

Entrepreneurship is changing the future of global business

Nov 15, 2010
As the U.S. faces ever-greater competition from abroad, the need for global entrepreneurship has never been greater. Mitchell Hartman explains.

Despite numbers, foreclosure crisis isn't better yet

Nov 12, 2010
RealtyTrac numbers out today report that there was a small decrease in the number of foreclosures in October. In reality, though, this may simply be reflective of the halt in foreclosures caused by faulty paperwork. Mitchell Hartman reports on other underlying problems.

Fed's quantitative easing doesn't help savers

Nov 6, 2010
The Fed is about to roll out another round of a process called quantitative easing. It's aimed to get interest rates down and make borrowing cheaper, as well as push Americans to spend more. But that's not a good thing for people who are trying to save. Mitchell Hartman reports.

The move toward hiring temps for permanent positions

Nov 5, 2010
Today's jobs report showed that hiring is rising in the private sector, and that job growth is growing moderately. Much of the hiring, though, has been for temporary positions. Will the temp-to-permanent job model work in this economy? Mitchell Hartman reports.

This year adults wear costumes with a deeper meaning

Nov 1, 2010
This Halloween weekend, Americans paid more money for halloween costumes than last year. And it's perhaps no surprise that there were plenty of economic and political get-ups. Mitchell Hartman has our story.

Libraries look to go the Redbox way

Oct 29, 2010
DVD rental systems have changed drastically in the past decades, from Blockbuster to Netflix to Redbox. Can libraries -- currently suffering from e-book popularity -- follow in the steps of the DVD? Mitchell Hartman reports.

Overpaying for bonds? Not as crazy as you'd think

Oct 26, 2010
It seems counterintuitive to pay the government for the privilege to lend to it, but investors did just that yesterday. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman explains what they were thinking.

State university faculty, degree programs on chopping block

Oct 25, 2010
With federal stimulus money running out, states are facing huge budget deficits. State governments are now looking at public university systems to save money.

Burdens of wealth

Oct 22, 2010
With money comes a lot of responsibility, and that's what many have learned the hard way. Depending on how you got rich also seems to play a role in how you handle it. Mitchell Hartman reports.

AIG to sell Asian insurance business to pay back bailout

Oct 22, 2010
AIG will sell off its valuable Asian insurance business, a move that will jump start its plan to pay back more than a $100 billion in taxpayer bailout money. Mitchell Hartman reports.