Marketplace®

Daily business news and economic stories
 

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

  • The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is looking at becoming the nation's first metro newspaper to go Web-only next week. Its journalists are facing lower salaries and benefit cuts. Could this be a model for newspapers' survival? Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • The average American has more than $9,000 in credit card debt and often fail to realize that the interest rates change often. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman reports on how to decipher the fine print and hot to get a handle on debt.

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  • The Iditarod, a 1,100-mile dog-sled race across Alaska, is hurting in this recession. Prize money is down and costs are up. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • A Senate committee is holding a hearing on whether Swiss bank UBS's adherence to international bank secrecy is helping wealthy U.S. citizens avoid income tax. Mitchell Hartman reports what Swiss defenders are saying.

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  • President Obama wants to finance health care reform by rolling back tax cuts and deductions for people earning more than $250,000. Mitchell Hartman reports whether that tax increase will punish small businesses.

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  • In this downturn, franchisees are defaulting on loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration in record amounts. That could have a huge impact on franchise lending in the future. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • First Hyundai let laid-off consumers give their cars back within a year of purchase. Now Toll Brothers will cover six months of mortgage payments for homeowners who lose their jobs. Who really benefits from these plans? Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • Hand crafters Michael Wood and Mona Harris met through work and fell in love, and eventually started working together. Mitchell Hartman reports to keep such a relationship healthy, you've got to be crafty.

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  • Several big retail chains have been going bust in this economy, with Circuit City and Mervyn's the latest to fall. But some companies are willing to spend some money on a still valuable brand name. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • A new U.S. law in effect today says child products can't contain more than one-tenth of 1 percent phthalates, a plastic-softening chemical. Congress passed it after last year's recalls of Chinese-made toys. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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Mitchell Hartman