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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 (2,055)

Is GM too big to fail too?

Oct 28, 2008
GM is back looking for government help, and the automaker says it can't afford to wait this time -- it needs $10 million to merge with Chrysler. Together, the argument is, the two companies can survive. Mitchell Hartman has more.

Outlook for solar cells is sunny

Oct 28, 2008
Renewable energy has a tough battle these days against cheaper oil and difficult credit, but a solar-cell plant in Oregon is still pushing its product down the line. Mitchell Hartman looks closer into the solar industry.

T-Mobile in smart phone competition

Oct 22, 2008
T-Mobile has released the G-1 phone, a smart phone powered by Google technology. Will its lower price and touchscreen sensibility make it competition for AT&T and iPhone? Mitchell Hartman rings up this report.

Housing construction slump continues

Oct 17, 2008
Construction of new homes was expected to drop in September, but not to the lowest number in seven years. With builders and buyers unable to get loans easily, the decline is expected to continue. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Truckers pull weight on the election

Oct 7, 2008
At $4 a gallon, gas prices are a sting for truckers. So what do they feel the government should do about it? Mitchell Hartman pulled into a truck stop in Portland, Oregon to pick the brain of independent truckers.

Inside the credit crunch

Oct 1, 2008
Money for loans is available; it's just that it costs a lot of money to borrow it. So, for many businesses, the credit crunch is very real. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Start-ups are slowing down

Oct 1, 2008
A new report says these days we're seeing fewer start-ups go public. Mitchell Hartman looks into what's causing the lack of willing venture capitalists and why they're not backing up IPOs.

Tainted milk renews safety concerns

Sep 25, 2008
Melamine, the industrial chemical that was added to Chinese milk and baby formula, has now been found in food outside China. Mitchell Hartman reports on whether this is another Chinese product safety scare about to go global and land in the U.S.

GM opens Volt engine plant in Michigan

Sep 25, 2008
Today GM executives will announce a new $359 million auto plant opening in distressed Flint, Mich. Workers there will build fuel-efficient engines for the Volt and Cruze models. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Sovereign funds could give U.S. a pass

Sep 22, 2008
Sovereign wealth funds were investing heavily in distressed U.S. banks. Mitchell Hartman learns that, like the Abu Dhabi group that bought Manchester's soccer team Friday, these funds could now be looking elsewhere.