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 (2,024)

App developers vie for Apple customers

Jun 11, 2012
The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off in San Francisco today, analysts expect newly designed laptops, perhaps a new Apple TV, and an updated operating system for mobile devices.

Lululemon shows limit of yoga market

Jun 7, 2012
Although Lululemon's profits were up this quarter, the yoga market outlook is softening despite affluent devotees that are willing to pay high prices for the fitness activity.

Checking in with the newly unemployed: Part 2

Jun 1, 2012
Newly unemployed, a newcomer to the search for work talks about his next steps.

Checking in with the newly unemployed

Jun 1, 2012
Fresh out of work, a newcomer to the search for work talks about her next steps.

Jobless unsurprised by today's bad report

Jun 1, 2012
People at an unemployment office say they're experiencing jobless numbers firsthand.

When unemployment runs out -- what's next?

May 31, 2012
More long-term unemployed workers turn to food stamps and other government programs.

In Detroit, half the street lights could go dark

May 24, 2012
The mayor's plan would stop illuminating blighted neighborhoods, and spend more to light the rest.

Astrodome could get $270 million fix-up

May 24, 2012
Once touted as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the futuristic stadium might have a future as an events venue.

Chinese company Wanda to buy 5,000 AMC cinema screens

May 21, 2012
It’s a lot of money, but Chinese ownership is no big deal for most Americans.

'Minorities' now more than 50% of U.S. births

May 17, 2012
Latinos represent a large and growing consumer market. But reaching them poses big challenges.