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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

  • Mr. Clean is getting a second job. Procter & Gamble is planning to expand its Mr. Clean Car Wash franchise nationwide. But is it that a good idea in this recession? Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • Today a House committee will explore the challenge small businesses face to cover their employees. Some reformers want to mandate employers provide insurance or pay into a government fund. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • The Consumer Product Safety Commission has delayed testing and certification requirements for lead content in children's toys and other products for a year. Tess Vigeland speaks with reporter Mitchell Hartman about the impacts of the delay.

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  • Home sales continue to plunge, which must be pretty frustrating for real estate agents who depend on commissions from home sales. Mitchell Hartman spends time with one of them in Portland, Ore.

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  • Solar power and "smart-grid" technology are the current winners in the venture capital race, and clean-tech is beating out biotech, which is getting a healthy shake-out. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • With the economy in a tailspin, many stay-at-home moms are starting businesses to help support their families. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman reports on these so-called "mompreneurs."

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  • Megabanks like JP Morgan and Citigroup make headlines for their losses, but smaller and mid-tier banks are suffering as well. But Mitchell Hartman explains how the troubles of these banks may differ.

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  • The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will ask for some mercy for businesses today in the form of income-tax relief. This would help businesses get out of their debt and spend again. Mitchell Hartman explains how it works.

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  • Venture capital fundraising was down significantly in 2008 from the year before, and the trend is expected to continue into the new year. Part of the problem is money tied up in other start-ups. Mitchell Hartman reports.

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  • Small business advocates have been lobbying to get a piece of Obama's stimulus plan. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman explores where some of the bailout money could go specifically to directly benefit small businesses.

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