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)

Wikipedia puts a face on donation

Jan 3, 2011
How did Wikipedia raise $16 million -- twice the amount it raised last year -- in just six weeks? Mitchell Hartman reports that it may have had to do with the face of founder Jimmy Wales.

December unemployment rates to be released on Friday

Jan 3, 2011
On Friday we'll get the first big employment report of the New Year from the Labor Department. It'll tell us what the unemployment rate was in December. Mitchell Hartman examines the job market.

Economic wishes for 2011

Jan 1, 2011
It's time to look forward to the new year. Here's what Marketplace's regulars are wishing for in 2011.

NASA must spend $500 million on a canceled project

Dec 30, 2010
Because Congress didn't pass a budget, taxpayers will be spending $500 million on a NASA program that's been canceled. Mitchell Hartman explains.

In the third quarter, foreclosures were up, and loan modifications were down

Dec 30, 2010
New figures out from the the Controller of the Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision show just how much trouble the housing market still faces. Mitchell Hartman explains.

Groupon turns to private investors to raise almost $1 billion

Dec 29, 2010
Just a few weeks after rejecting a $6 billion buyout offer from Google, Groupon may raise almost $1 billion from private investors to fuel its growth. Mitchell Hartman has more.

Jobs: Labor market improving, but it's not enough

Dec 28, 2010
We started out the year worrying about high unemployment and at the end of 2010 it still remains a huge issue. Reporter Mitchell Hartman talks with Bob Moon about whether we are making progress in the labor market, what would get employers to hire more, and what will happen now that the economy is expected to grow faster.

UPDATE: Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index reports confidence fell in December

Dec 28, 2010
It was a good holiday season for retailers and everyone was saying that the U.S. consumer was back. So you can understand everyone's surprise when the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index reported confidence fell in December. Mitchell Hartman explains.

Northeast corridor hit by massive blizzard

Dec 27, 2010
The northeast corridor has been hit by a massive post-holiday blizzard. Flights and trains have been canceled, with snow drifts being measured in feet. Mitchell Hartman has more.

Burdens of wealth

Dec 24, 2010
With money comes a lot of responsibility, and that's what many have learned the hard way. Depending on how you got rich also seems to play a role in how you handle it. Mitchell Hartman reports.