General 3 — Center for Independent Thought

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.

Stossel TV: Q2 2026 in Review

Because of your support, millions of Stossel TV viewers continue to discover ideas and perspectives that encourage independent thinking. These numbers represent more than audience growth. They represent millions of opportunities for viewers to question mainstream narratives, explore the ideas of liberty and free markets, and encounter perspectives often overlooked elsewhere.

Q2 Highlights

More than 100 million views this year and 1.2 billion lifetime views of Stossel TV videos
90,000 new subscribers this year, bringing the total to 5 million to Stossel TV

Stossel TV Fellow Leyla Taghiyeva of Students For Liberty recently examined the disconnect between socialism’s working-class image and the privileged lives of many of its most visible promoters.

Drawing on examples including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, and streamer Hasan Piker, Leyla explores why these "luxury beliefs" often impose their greatest costs on working people.

Your support equips emerging young talent such as Leyla to challenge popular claims, ask tough questions, and champion liberty for years to come.

In May, John spoke with participants in the Bill of Rights Institute’s 2026 Student Fellowship. John and the students had a lively conversation and question and answer period.

The fellowship brings together students from across the country to explore leadership, citizenship, self-government, and civic responsibility.

For decades, John has encouraged young people to think for themselves and has challenged students to question government power, examine popular assumptions with healthy skepticism, and better understand the enduring value of individual liberty.

In case you missed them, below are some of John’s recent videos:

Stossel in the Classroom: Q2 2026 in Review

Because of your support, millions of Stossel TV viewers continue to discover ideas and perspectives that encourage independent thinking.

More than 4,300 students participated in our annual essay and video contests, tackling topics ranging from tariffs and birthright citizenship to America's 250th anniversary. Explore this year’s winning videos and essays here.

Every day, more than 120,000 registered educators have access to SITC’s free videos, lesson plans, discussion guides, quizzes, and student contests—resources that are aligned with state education standards and designed to equip students to think critically about today's most important issues.

What We Learned From Teachers This School Year

This spring, SITC asked educators how they're using these materials in their classrooms. The results were encouraging:

97.6% of survey respondents said SITC resources are effective in stimulating critical thinking and classroom discussion.
85.8% said resources that help students think critically about AI-generated content would be very or extremely helpful, showing strong demand for practical AI lessons.
SITC’s Video Library and Both Sides of the Issue each earned an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 from users.

One vocational educator told us:

“I have been using your materials for 10 years (my entire teaching career) and I cannot tell you how much I value what you all do. My students enjoy the videos and materials as well.”

150 Installments of Both Sides of the Issue

This quarter, SITC released its 150th installment of Both Sides of the Issue. The installments equip teachers with ready-to-use discussion guides that foster respectful discourse on complex issues while encouraging students to compare arguments, examine evidence, and reach their own conclusions.

Teachers rated Both Sides of the Issue among SITC’s most valuable resources, with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 among educators who use it. One teacher described why the format matters:

“Both Sides of the Issue topics, videos, and questions are relevant to discussions on current events and on historical connections and help students see multiple perspectives.”

Commemorating America's 250th in the Classroom

As the country celebrated the 250th anniversary of American independence, SITC provided educators with Voices of Liberty, a teacher’s guide designed to help students explore America’s founding principles. The response from teachers affirmed the value of our resource:

“Thank you so much for this! I am sick and tired of the political bend to most of these things, but you got it right! Very useful and allows me to stay neutral in teaching civics and government to my students, which is what I was always taught should be my perspective. Obviously this is a challenge nowadays, but you have made it easier!”

That is precisely what donor support makes possible: free resources that help teachers introduce consequential ideas while leaving students free to weigh the evidence and form their own views.