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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Since February's major train derailment in Ohio, freight rail safety has come under scrutiny. Many rail workers blame a relatively new business model: precision-scheduled railroading.
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In the world of global manufacturing, China is the undisputed champion. But on its doorstep lies a huge country vying to become the world's next high-tech factory for the world: India.
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A wage-price spiral — when wages and prices cause each other to rise in perpetuity — is considered a nightmare scenario for inflation. But do we really need to fear it?
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One idea is labor hoarding. That's when employers hold onto more staff than they need because the costs of rehiring are so high.
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Artificial intelligence has advanced enough to create a seemingly original artwork in the style of living artists within minutes. Some artists argue that these AI models breach copyright law.
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History remembers Arthur Burns as the Fed chair who let inflation run rampant. That's precisely the outcome that current Fed Chairman Jerome Powell wants to avoid.
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Artificial intelligence has advanced enough to create a seemingly original artwork in the style of living artists within minutes. Some artists argue that these AI models breach copyright law.
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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."