Rikki Schlott Joins the Cato Institute as Media Fellow

WASHINGTON, D.C. — MARCH 19, 2026 — The Cato Institute is pleased to announce that author and commentator Rikki Schlott is joining the Institute as a Cato Media Fellow. 

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Schlott is a columnist for the New York Post and coauthor of The Canceling of the American Mind (named one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Books of 2023) with FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff. Her writing focuses on free speech, campus culture, civil liberties, and generational issues, as well as relationships and evolving cultural norms. 

In addition to the Post, Rikki’s writing has appeared in Reason magazine, Newsweek, the National Review, the Wall Street Journal, The Spectator, and The Free Press, among other outlets. She has been featured on Fox News, Fox Business, the BBC, NewsNation, and HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. She hosted a podcast in Bill Maher’s network of shows and is working on a forthcoming non-fiction book.

“I’m honored to join the Cato Institute as a Media Fellow,” Schlott said. “So many important debates about liberty today are unfolding not just in legislatures or courtrooms but also in culture—media, universities, and the everyday lives of young Americans. I’m excited to work with Cato to bring libertarian principles and classical liberal ideas into those conversations.”

In her new role, Rikki will be working closely on events, digital projects, and outreach, especially through Cato’s growing Next Gen community in New York City. She’ll join events as a speaker and moderator, help spark thoughtful conversations, and connect new audiences to Cato’s ideas.

She’ll also collaborate on sharing and creating content, including stories from Free Society and new media projects—developed collaboratively. 

“Rikki brings intellectual rigor, cultural fluency, and a deep commitment to free expression,” said Peter Goettler, Cato’s president and CEO. “Her voice resonates with a new generation of Americans thinking seriously about liberty, speech, and the future of civil society. We are excited to work with her to expand Cato’s reach and engagement.”  

The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Founded in 1977, Cato works to create a free and open society in which liberty allows every individual to pursue a life of prosperity and meaning in peace.