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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 (574)

With tips down, some restaurants have raised wages for servers. Will it last?

Jul 13, 2020
“A lot of workers are saying no, I refuse to go back and put my health at risk and my family's health at risk for $2, $3 or $4 an hour.”
With business slow at most restaurants, some are raising wages to incentivize staff to come back.
Byron Smith/Getty Images

CFPB rolls back restrictions on payday lenders

Jul 9, 2020
Lenders will not have to verify whether borrowers have the ability to pay back high-interest loans
About 12 million Americans take out payday loans every year, mostly to cover necessities like rent or utilities.
EHStock via Getty Images

Summer is here. Is camp safe?

Jun 29, 2020
Many day camps are opening, many sleepaway camps are not. Parents are trying to decide if it’s safe, and worth it.
Many day camps are opening this summer, but a lot of parents are worried about COVID-19.
(MrsVega via Getty Images)

Stimulus checks and unemployment keeping millions out of poverty, for now

Jun 23, 2020
But that extra $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits, which has been critical for millions, is set to run out at the end of July.
The poverty rate has fallen during the pandemic, according to a study out this week, but only because of the CARES Act.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Will liability waivers protect businesses from COVID-19 lawsuits?

Jun 19, 2020
Liability waivers may not be enforceable in all states, but many businesses are looking for some kind of protection from lawsuits.
As businesses reopen, many are worried about the prospect of coronavirus-related lawsuits.
Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

Black-owned businesses seeing an increase in sales during protests

Jun 16, 2020
Social media activism is translating into increased sales for many restaurants and businesses. But will it last?
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

Consumer sentiment is up - a little. Why does it matter?

Jun 12, 2020
Consumer sentiment rose in June, as states started to reopen, but most people are still feeling uncertain and pessimistic about the future.
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

What it can cost to get arrested at a protest

Jun 10, 2020
For many protesters arrested in at demonstrations against racism, police brutality and the killing of George Floyd, there can be long-term financial effects.
More than 10,000 people have been arrested in recent days at protests over racism and police brutality, according to the AP.
(Kyle Grillot/AFP via Getty Images)

How did everyone get the unemployment rate wrong?

Jun 8, 2020
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says some furloughed employees were misclassified as “employed, but absent from work."
Spencer Platt/Getty Images