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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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Movie theaters are turning to collectible merchandise, like novelty popcorn buckets, to get audiences in the door during a time of declining moviegoing and box office returns.
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How did prison phone calls get to be so expensive? The team from The Indicator from Planet Money explains.
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NPR's Planet Money team looks into how expanding legal pathways to work in the U.S. could affect the migration levels at the southern border.
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Dental Therapy could be one solution for improving oral care in underserved rural communities. What new momentum is there for dental therapy, and why is the American Dental Association pushing back?
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A brief history of U.S. tariffs: How they came into fashion, fell out of fashion, are now back again and why economists aren't too happy about it.
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Gender equality in the workplace has been stalled for years. And one big reason behind this trend is something called the "winner-take-all" approach to business.
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The team at The Indicator from Planet Money explores the shifting status quo on accessibility in video games.
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President Biden's strike force, whose aim is to crack down on unfair or illegal pricing by corporations, could get a boost via a dusty piece of law that some are looking to revive.
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Despite low unemployment and falling inflation, there are signs that many Americans are still struggling financially. We examine some of those signs.
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After its crash several years ago, bitcoin has come back with a vengeance. That's in part due to the newfound accessibility of holding bitcoin through something called exchange traded funds