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)

Unemployment doesn't budge

Sep 2, 2011
There was no net jobs gain last month. And that's worse than it sounds.

Unemployed? Don't bother applying

Sep 2, 2011
The unemployment numbers in August held steady. A lot of Americans need work, but there's an obstacle: Employers don't want unemployed applicants.

Sprint gets a bite at the Apple

Aug 24, 2011
A report in the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> says the carrier will get the iPhone in October

AEG launches new ticket service

Aug 23, 2011
AXS will compete with Ticketmaster in a shrinking concert business.

Wages still don't keep up

Aug 22, 2011
Workers will get modest raises this year, but prices are rising faster

Big hurdles to job creation remain

Aug 19, 2011
Private employers are creating jobs every month. But it's not nearly enough to whittle away at the unemployment rate, which remains above 9 percent

Productivity continues to drop

Aug 10, 2011
And with the economy slowing down, it could lead to another round of downsizing

Supporters say free trade deals can create jobs

Aug 5, 2011
The U.S. unemployment rate remains above 9 percent, and now President Obama says he has a few ideas to create new jobs, including free trade deals with Panama and South Korea.

Hiring picks up a bit in July

Aug 5, 2011
But can it last given the economy now?

The Gap takes marketing on the road

Aug 4, 2011
The clothing retailer tries to re-brand itself by getting into the taco truck business. Will it convince young shoppers that its new line of jeans is gritty and hip?