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 (1,999)

Start-ups are slowing down

Oct 1, 2008
A new report says these days we're seeing fewer start-ups go public. Mitchell Hartman looks into what's causing the lack of willing venture capitalists and why they're not backing up IPOs.

Tainted milk renews safety concerns

Sep 25, 2008
Melamine, the industrial chemical that was added to Chinese milk and baby formula, has now been found in food outside China. Mitchell Hartman reports on whether this is another Chinese product safety scare about to go global and land in the U.S.

GM opens Volt engine plant in Michigan

Sep 25, 2008
Today GM executives will announce a new $359 million auto plant opening in distressed Flint, Mich. Workers there will build fuel-efficient engines for the Volt and Cruze models. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Sovereign funds could give U.S. a pass

Sep 22, 2008
Sovereign wealth funds were investing heavily in distressed U.S. banks. Mitchell Hartman learns that, like the Abu Dhabi group that bought Manchester's soccer team Friday, these funds could now be looking elsewhere.

How does financial crisis strike you?

Sep 19, 2008
After all the screaming headlines and doom and gloom of the last few days, we got to wondering whether the government's bailout plans have made people feel better. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman went to find out.

Portland business owners anxious too

Sep 18, 2008
Wall Street is in the headlines, but the financial crisis affects businesses everywhere. Mitchell Hartman took a walk around Portland, Ore., to find out how business owners there are faring.

Will meltdown's impact hit Main Street?

Sep 16, 2008
With the nation's biggest investment banks taking body blows and the world's biggest insurer on the ropes, it's not surprising people in the financial markets are a bit hysterical. But what about Main Street and regular people's livelihoods? Mitchell Hartman reports.

Gov't takeover may ease housing pains

Sep 12, 2008
With the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, homebuyers and homeowners may have an better luck making a connection. Mitchell Hartman reports from Portland, Oregon.

Is it worth going after natural gas?

Sep 12, 2008
The Department of Energy today weighs the pros and cons of extracting natural gas from shale and coal seams. Oil companies say they can make it work financially, but what about the environment? Mitchell Hartman reports.

Made-to-order no longer computes

Sep 5, 2008
Dell is looking to revamp its signature process of building its products to order. And it's reportedly talking about selling off most of its facilities and having somebody else make its computers. Mitchell Hartman reports.