Dear Friend,
My new mayor praises “the warmth of collectivism” and mocks “rugged individualism.”
Clearly, we need to work harder to explain to young people why socialism is not the way forward. In my videos, I explain why socialism never stays “warm” for long. I show what does work is individualism: private property, free markets, and personal responsibility.
In 2025, we crossed a major milestone: one billion views. Stossel TV tells stories that put a human face on excessive government and the unintended consequences of bad policies.
We’re already well on our way to the next billion views. January’s videos alone tackled woke Hollywood’s fight against individualism, civil asset forfeiture, and why communes fail.
Teachers who use our materials see the impact. A California social studies teacher stopped me on the street and said, “You’re a jungle gym for my students’ brains!”
The push toward socialism shows no sign of stopping. Thanks to your support, we can make the case for liberty. Liberty needs champions. Thank you for being one of them.
Onward in liberty,
John Stossel
From John Stossel
From Rob Schimenz, CIT President
Dear CIT Supporters,
What a year 2025 was—most notably John’s videos surpassed 1 billion views! That’s one reason I’m so pleased to send you Center for Independent Thought’s 2025 Annual Report.
What is the impact of 1 billion views? And how can we measure it? Many donors ask about impact of the programs they support. Not only do they want to ensure their money goes to a good cause, but that it also “moves the needle.” When I taught high school in NYC, it became clear that impact isn’t always measurable, though over time, it is observable.
In January, I met Joe Kent at the Antigua Forum, a conference that brings together people from all walks of life to discover better ways to advance liberty. Joe is Executive VP at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, an organization that promotes individual liberty, economic freedom, and limited, accountable government. Joe told me that he “was a staunch socialist after college,” but that John had changed his thinking, turning him from a left-leaning college grad to a libertarian think tank leader. That’s impact.
You can read more of Joe’s story later in this report. Over the next year, we’ll bring you more such stories. If you have a story about the impact John has had on you or someone you know, please email Rob@centerforindependentthought.org and let us know, and if you have any questions about this report or our work, you can email them to us and we’ll be sure to answer them.
Thank you for your continued support, and best wishes for a happy, healthy, and productive 2026!
Rob Schimenz
OUR MISSION
Center for Independent Thought seeks to expand awareness of individual liberty, free markets, and peace. Toward that goal, CIT works with teachers, scholars, and free-market organizations to develop critical thinking and bring the ideas of liberty to people around the globe.
2025 Highlights
1 billion+ lifetime views of Stossel TV videos
4.8+ million subscribers to Stossel TV
5,100+ student essay and video entries received
28% growth in unique Stossel in the Classroom website visitors, broadening our educational reach
244 unique pieces of liberty-centric content produced by Stossel TV and SITC
Stossel TV: 2025 in Review
John Stossel is one of the most widely recognized libertarian voices examining the role of government, markets, and individual liberty. Through Stossel TV, John produces weekly videos that explore the intended and unintended consequences of public policy and highlight the principles of free enterprise and limited government.
With a digital audience of more than 4.8 million followers, Stossel TV reaches viewers well beyond traditional policy and think tank circles. John’s videos elevate economists, scholars, entrepreneurs, and authors whose perspectives are often underrepresented in mainstream media, fostering more informed debate and serious consideration of liberty-oriented policy solutions.
In 2025, Javier Milei, President of Argentina, began engaging directly with John’s work by following, reposting, and commenting on Stossel TV videos. This engagement introduced millions of new viewers to discussions of economic freedom and reform-minded governance. This demonstrates how important digital media can be in moving ideas into serious policy conversations.
All-Time Top Videos
#2 - 28.7 million views
#3 - 26 million views
#1 - 28.9 million views
Restored Reach on Facebook
After a period of reduced visibility on Facebook, Stossel TV content is regaining traction on the platform. This shift made it possible to share full-length interviews with leading experts, including Judith Curry and Bjørn Lomborg, directly with Facebook audiences. Viewer response has been strong, reinforcing the demand for long-form, expert-driven discussions that prioritize evidence, objectivity, and open inquiry.
In September 2025, Stossel TV reached one billion views.
The number isn’t just a milestone—it underscores the relevance of content focused on liberty and free markets. And it only happened because supporters like you have sustained this work from the very beginning.
With 4.8 million subscribers across social media, and millions more who watch without subscribing, our donor community ensures that every Stossel TV video remains completely free, with no sponsored content, no paywalls, and no subscriptions. This means anyone, anywhere can access ideas that defend liberty.
Because of you:
millions of viewers hear stories the mainstream media overlooks
organizations we feature—such as Institute for Justice, Cato, and Pacific Legal Foundation—reach wider audiences
liberty-focused journalism remains independent and accessible to all
students and families discover principles that strengthen critical thinking and civic understanding
Just as importantly, we’re influencing the future. Through the Stossel Fellows program, we’re training the next generation of storytellers to carry these ideas forward.
A billion views is certainly a milestone worthy of celebration.
But the critical thinking you’ve ignited and the millions more people we’ll reach together is the real impact.
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Congrats! Well worth it! Your sensible, actual real reporting that gives both sides of the story and acknowledges your own bias is an excellent role model for my students.”
— @heatherbronner2539
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Congratulations, John. You're a true pioneer on independent journalism on the internet.”
— @HJ_listening
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You are the reason I became a Libertarian. I used to watch you in the early ‘80s on 20/20 …. You're insightful, and full of common sense. Thanks for the good work you've done, John!”
— @jackson5116
Stossel in the Classroom: 2025 in Review
SITC reaches over 121,000 educators and provides them with over 400 videos and accompanying lesson plans.
In 2025, SITC released 18 Both Sides of the Issue video pairings and discussion guides, 23 full teacher guides, and 23 gamified quizzes on the Kahoot! platform.
SITC launched exciting new offerings in the 2025-26 school year including:
Voices of Liberty - A teaching resource to engage students with the words, ideas, and debates that shaped America, and to inspire them to reflect on their own role in protecting liberty for the future.
Lessons in Lyrics - A creative way to teach students core civics and economics concepts using original music videos, complete with ready-to-use guides.
AI Student Contest - This new contest invites students to take a Stossel-like approach and play devil’s advocate to AI chatbots. By doing so, students can learn to identify potential bias in AI-generated responses, sharpen their critical thinking, and better understand that chatbots are powerful yet fallible tools—not all-knowing sources of truth.
SITC Spotlight: Building Critical Thinkers in the Age of AI
As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life, educators are asking an important question: Do students use AI responsibly?
At a time when most schools are still figuring out how to respond to AI, SITC explored this question through a national student challenge. The goal was to proactively equip students with the thinking skills to use AI tools responsibly. Instead of grading students on correct answers, we asked them to explain how they used AI tools, what they learned, and where those tools helped or fell short.
What we learned was encouraging.
Students showed healthy skepticism toward AI.
Many students quickly recognized that AI-generated responses were not always reliable. They questioned missing sources and noted vague claims.Student thinking mattered more than the bot.
Students observed that weak prompts produced shallow responses, while thoughtful questions led to deeper insights. Several students noted that improving AI output required clarifying their own thinking first.Students understood AI’s limits.
While AI summarized concepts and outlined tradeoffs, students identified its inability to make judgments. This distinction helped them separate information from values—an essential civic skill.Reflection changed behavior.
Because students were required to reflect on their AI use, many became more aware of bias and adjusted their approach, prompting them to challenge the AI bots and explore different sources.
Why this matters
Student submissions show that when students are guided to interrogate AI, instead of outsourcing their thinking, AI becomes just a tool for deeper learning. The most responsible AI users are not the most tech-savvy students, but the most reflective ones.
SITC will continue to provide educators with tools to teach students how to question, evaluate, and think independently about AI. These skills in critical thinking and discernment will serve students well far beyond the classroom.
Partner Network
Center for Independent Thought is proud of the partnerships we have established with other free market and pro-liberty educational organizations. We strive to collaborate with our partner network to amplify each other’s work as we teach about the importance of liberty.
We look forward to continuing to build and strengthen these partnerships in the year ahead.
In 2025, John Stossel keynoted YALCON, inspiring top student leaders to defend liberty. The SITC team exhibited materials and led a workshop for educators at the National Council for Social Studies Annual Conference in Washington, DC, and showcased resources at the National Invitational Tournament of Champions in Tulsa, OK.
Thanks to Free to Choose Network’s CEO Rob Chatfield, Rob Schimenz participated in an FTCN colloquium at Milton Friedman’s summer home, engaging with students from Florida International University.
Impact Spotlight: Joe Kent’s Story
My story goes like this:
I was a staunch socialist after college, but picked up the book Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity by John Stossel, which read: “Myth: Government must make rules to protect us from business. Truth: Competition protects us, if government gets out of the way.”
I had such a cognitive dissonance to that statement that I threw the book away! It was an emotional reaction that a year I thought about a year later, and I tried to examine those feelings and be honest with myself. There was nothing he said that was wrong; I just didn’t like it.
So I bought the book again, and read the whole thing. And I realized that Stossel was right.
In the conclusion, Stossel wrote: “Myth: John Stossel is a conservative. Truth: I’m a libertarian.”
That was the first time I had ever heard the term “libertarian” and I realized that I must also be a libertarian. It was a pivotal moment in my life.
Years later, I was a public school teacher, and I used Stossel in the Classroom materials while teaching my middle schoolers and high schoolers. One of my favorite videos was of John explaining how few people collide on an ice-skating rink, a phenomenon known as the spontaneous order. I always think of that. What a beautiful analogy!
While teaching, I made a documentary in the style of John Stossel called “The Price of Paradise,” exploring why the cost of living is so high in Hawaii.
A local free market think tank known as the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii saw that documentary and asked me if I would quit my teaching job and work for them instead. And that’s exactly what I did!
Today I’m still teaching the lesson that “Competition protects us, if government gets out of the way.”
I owe John Stossel so much gratitude for not only changing my life, but for all the lives I have also changed through my education and advocacy for free market principles and policies.
- Joe Kent
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