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Mitchell Hartman

Correspondent

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 from Mitchell Hartman

  • At a conference in Washington, consumer advocates and lawmakers will turn a spotlight on the so-called "underbanked," people who don't even have a bank account. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • Youth sports programs have seen billions cut from their budgets, so advocates are in Washington to seek funding help. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • Barnes & Noble is entering the e-reader market with the Nook. What's it got that Amazon's Kindle and the others don't? Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • Retail prices have fallen a bit since last year, and that's mostly good news. Unless you're a minimum-wage worker in Colorado. Mitchell Hartman explains.

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  • A grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will expand a model program in Washington State that promotes remedial education to help students get community college degrees. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • One of the ways to find out if the economy is bouncing back is to check how much is being shipped by trains, trucks and ships. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman did just that and reports on what he found.

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  • Credit-card purchases usually rise in the lead-up to the holidays. But this year, studies show consumers are increasingly steering away from credit and opting for debit. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • Google has announced a deal to match up its Web-based energy-monitoring system with a smart meter to track electricity usage. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • At a hearing on Capitol Hill, lawmakers will assess whether stimulus funds have helped to jump-start bank lending backed by the Small Business Administration. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • We've all heard the unemployment reports: Millions of people are slaving away on job applications. Or are there? The job market is so tough, some people have just given up. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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