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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 (1,997)

Mortgage plan gives people runaround

Jul 28, 2009
The Obama administration's loan modification program to keep people in their homes hasn't had the results many were hoping for. Mortgage servicers will be at the White House today to explain why. Mitchell Hartman reports.

B of A could close 600 branches

Jul 28, 2009
Bank of America is planning to shut down as many as 10% of its neighborhood branches. Bank executives see the need for physical locations dwindling as computers and smart phones take over. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Lending down, but home sales up

Jul 27, 2009
New home sales rose in June, despite bank lending falling significantly in the second quarter. Home prices have fallen so much that sales are finally picking up. Could the housing crisis be abating? Mitchell Hartman reports.

Citi exec in big bonus purgatory

Jul 27, 2009
Citigroup is trying to decide whether to pay one of its executives the sum of $100 million. But that may be tricky as the bank is one of seven overseen by U.S. pay czar Kenneth Feinberg. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Obama: Schools must 'race to the top'

Jul 24, 2009
President Obama is creating a $4 billion grant program for schools, but only if they accept certain reforms. States may be disqualified from receiving money, unless they agree to use test score data to set teacher pay. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Congress may stop some start-up funds

Jul 24, 2009
Congress is debating whether to allow government money to flow into firms backed by venture capitalists. Some argue start-ups can't make it without VC money, but that shouldn't cut them off from government funds. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Elders dominate among entrepreneurs

Jul 23, 2009
Media buzz usually spotlights 20-something Ivy League grads who start the hottest new tech companies and social networks. But the average tech-company founder is 39 and entrepreneurs over 50 surpass the younger generation two-to-one. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Immigration to U.S. slows to a trickle

Jul 22, 2009
Immigration from Mexico has slowed dramatically according to a new report out today from the Pew Hispanic Center. As Mitchell Hartman reports, the economy on both sides of the border is a major factor in the human ebb and flow.

No silver lining for small businesses

Jul 22, 2009
The National Small Business Association releases its mid-year survey today, and everything from revenue to number of employees on payroll has gotten worse since December. Mitchell Hartman looks at what's challenging small businesses now.

Earnings show tech sector struggling

Jul 17, 2009
IBM and Google reported earnings yesterday, and both companies are up over last quarter. But the tech sector is still suffering. Mitchell Hartman explores some of the low points in this week's technology earnings.