Renata Sago

Reporter

SHORT BIO

Renata Sago is a former reporter for Marketplace. She covered food culture and consumption. You could catch her on a pea farm in rural Minnesota, at a new burger spot in town, or in the alternative pasta aisle of a local grocery store with a microphone and a camera. Her stories explored new trends in food, including health, safety, disruption and moneeeeey.

What was your very first job?

I started a production company when I was 6 years old. I ran it from my grandmother's porch, with occasional assistance from my cat.

What do you think is the hardest part of your job that no one knows?

Making magic on tight deadlines is a mutha.

What advice do you wish someone had given you before you started this career?

Stay hydrated (also life advice).

What is something that everyone should own, no matter how much it costs?

You should own your voice, and every single bit of your story, past and present. They are priceless. Never give those up. They are what make you unique. (Existential, huh?)

Latest Stories (154)

U.S.-Japan trade talks open today in Washington

Aug 9, 2018
Japan trade talks are set to open today in Washington, D.C. for the first bilateral trade meeting since President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership last year. It’s a high level meeting between Japanese Economic Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Negotiating a free trade agreement and tariffs […]
Left, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Japanese Economic Minister Toshimitsu Motegi are meeting today in Washington, D.C. on trade.
Chris Kleponis - Pool/Getty Images and ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images

Why unions are spending millions to fight Missouri’s proposed right-to-work law

Aug 7, 2018
If passed by voters Tuesday, it would change the way unions collect money from members.
The AFL-CIO signage on the building at the intersection of 16th Street NW and Eye Street, just two blocks north of the White House, is 2005 in Washington, D.C.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Utah's approach to breaking the cycle of child poverty: helping parents

Jul 31, 2018
Utah is leading states in efforts to reduce childhood poverty, one study found. One approach it's taken? Creating programs that tackle intergenerational poverty in families.
Stephanie Snowball is raising her 3-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son with help from her grandmother.
Renata Sago/Marketplace

Utah is reducing its child poverty rate, one piece of data at a time

Jul 30, 2018
Utah's done more than any other state in the country to reduce its child poverty rate since 2010, one study says.
Shannon Starley regularly manages cases for Utah's Division of Children and Family Services.
Renata Sago/Marketplace

Trump looks to add economic considerations into rules protecting threatened species

Jul 20, 2018
This week, the U.S. Department of Interior released proposed rule changes for the Endangered Species Act. It’s the 45-year-old act credited with reviving populations of bald eagles, gray wolves, lynxes and roughly 1,600 plants and animals at risk of extinction. Right now, the process used to protect species under the act requires only a scientific […]
The grey wolf is protected in the United States under the Endangered Species Act. 

Labor shortages and high cost of materials depress homebuilding, industry says

Jul 18, 2018
Builders are looking into long-term solutions.
A worker saws wood at Canal Crossing, a new luxury apartment community consisting of 393 rental units near the university city of New Haven on August 2, 2017 in Hamden, Connecticut. 
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

How are consumers spending their money?

Jul 16, 2018
The U.S. Census Bureau will release June retail sales data this morning. We already know that consumer spending is strong right now due in part to a tight labor market and inflation. But how are consumers financing their current spending spree and what are they spending on, exactly? Click the audio player above to hear the […]

Summer brought to you by: Orlando theme parks

Jul 3, 2018
How did this hot and sunny middle Florida city become such a theme park magnet? And how does it keep the tourists coming in the summer months?
In this handout image provided by Disney Parks, fireworks light the sky over Cinderella Castle during the Grand Opening of New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World Resort December 6, 2012 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Gene Duncan/Disney Parks via Getty Images

Wimbledon looks to supercomputer Watson for fast tournament highlights to lure a younger audience

Jul 2, 2018
IBM’s artificial intelligence supercomputer Watson is primed to do quick searches for video highlights of the Wimbledon tennis championship next week. The idea is to deliver key moments to fans via social platforms like Facebook and Instagram. But what might that mean for more mainstream broadcasters that buy the rights to sporting events? Click the […]

Used car salesman? He’s looking better and better to consumers

Jun 28, 2018
If the threatened 25 percent tariffs on cars produced in the European Union coming into the United States are imposed, more and more people may head to the used car lot.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.