
Adrian Ma
Adrian Ma covers work, money and other "business-ish" for NPR's daily economics podcast The Indicator from Planet Money.
His reporting has garnered national honors including a National Edward R. Murrow Award, a Gracie Award and a Public Media Journalists Association Award. Before joining NPR in 2021, he covered the business beat for member stations WBUR in Boston and WCPN in Cleveland.
He's reported on what it's like to deliver groceries during an outbreak, captured the final hours of a tiny cafe, and traveled to China to unpack how the trade war crushed a growing market for U.S. cranberries. He's also covered protests for racial justice, explored what it's like to drive for Amazon, and documented the curious ritual that is 'speed dating for economists.'
His interest in journalism began while studying media law at the University of Maryland School of Law. Later, while working for a judge in Baltimore, he decided to "roll the dice" and change careers. After obtaining a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, his first news job was as an assistant producer at WNYC in New York.
Some years ago, he worked as a prep cook in a ramen shop.
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When the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, the interest rate on savings account usually follows in step. But recently, that logic hasn't held up. (Story aired on ATC on Jan. 15, 2023.)
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When the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, the interest rate on your savings account usually follows in step. But recently, that logic hasn't held up.
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The Indicator hosts reports on a recently launched investment fund that takes on startups abandoned by venture capital investors because they are not growing fast enough to become "unicorns."
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Tech companies are laying off thousands of workers in a reversal of their hiring boom during the pandemic. Should we worry about another dot-com bust like the one in 2000?
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As California considers new heat safety regulations for indoor workers one economist argues that it would be a win-win for both employees and their employers.
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New research suggests a person's name, specifically hard-to-pronounce ones, could make the difference between landing a job or their resume ending up in the reject pile.
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New research suggests a person's name, specifically hard-to-pronounce ones, could make the difference between landing a job or their resume ending up in the reject pile.
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With signs of a slowdown, it's a tough time for the International Monetary Fund and its 190 member countries. Planet Money's The Indicator explains what the IMF is and what it does.
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Earlier this month, Merriam Webster added over 300 new words to the dictionary. A number of econ terms were on the list.
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California is home to some of the country's strictest environmental regulations. Those standards can sometimes spread to other states and beyond. It's known as the "California Effect."