Samantha Fields

Senior Reporter

SHORT BIO

Samantha Fields is a senior reporter at Marketplace.

She’s particularly interested in how the economy affects people’s everyday lives, and a lot of her coverage focuses on economic inequality, housing and climate change.

She’s also reported and produced for WCAI and The GroundTruth Project, the “NPR Politics Podcast,” NPR’s midday show, “Here & Now,” Vermont Public Radio and Maine Public Radio. She got her start in journalism as a reporter for a community paper, The Wellesley Townsman, and her start in radio as an intern and freelance producer at “The Takeaway” at WNYC. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Latest Stories (537)

The chip shortage is hitting just about anything with a plug or battery

May 19, 2021
The list includes refrigerators, video doorbells, light bulbs you can turn on with your phone and even lower-tech things like kids’ toys.
Semiconductor chips go in everything from cars to children's toys.
Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images

What needs to happen to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050?

May 18, 2021
A whole lot, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. And fast.
To reach net zero carbon emissions, 60% of all cars sold will need to be electric, like this rechargeable car.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

EV and hybrid vehicle sales on the rise as consumers see reasons to go electric

May 17, 2021
"The tipping point is here," said Michelle Krebs, of Cox Automotive.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

More Republican-led states opting out of federal unemployment payments

May 14, 2021
Republican governors say the added federal benefits are discouraging people from taking jobs.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

A gift left the Morehouse Class of '19 debt-free. Here's how it's changing their lives.

May 13, 2021
Billionaire investor Robert F. Smith paid off their student loans. Now they're trying to pay their good fortune forward.
Elijah Dormeus is “literally still in awe of the love that was given to the class, all 400 of us.” Above, Dormeus is surrounded by his family at his Morehouse graduation in 2019.
Courtesy Elijah Dormeus

Colonial Pipeline shutdown highlights need for more cybersecurity professionals

May 13, 2021
By one estimate, the U.S. needs at least 360,000 more cybersecurity professionals.
As these kinds of cyberattacks are becoming more common, demand is growing for cybersecurity experts.
Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images

Colonial Pipeline shutdown prompts federal, state action to move fuel

May 12, 2021
Georgia, for example, has increased the amount of weight trucks are allowed to carry on its roads and bridges.
The pipeline network carries 2.5 million barrels of fuel a day from the Gulf Coast all up along the East Coast.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

3 states will exit federal pandemic unemployment programs. More are likely to follow.

May 10, 2021
The Republican governors of Arkansas, Montana and South Carolina say the benefits keep people out of the workforce.
Arkansas, Montana and South Carolina are opting out, but the U.S. economy is down more than 8 million jobs since the pandemic hit.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Waiving patents on COVID-19 vaccines no magic pill for shortage

May 6, 2021
Global vaccine distribution also depends on access to information and having enough production plants.
To ensure that lifting patent restrictions has an impact, vaccine companies need to share know-how with manufacturers around the world.
Mohd Arhaan Archer/AFP via Getty Images

Countries want tourists back if they're vaccinated. That may lead to vaccine passports.

May 5, 2021
What counts as proof of immunization when there's no global database to tell a fake apart from the real thing?
"The train’s left the station. It's happening," says Jen Kates, director of global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "So many countries have said they're doing this. It's just a matter of how to make it work," and how to make it as fair and equitable as possible.
Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images