The Forward Party Podcast EP2 - Campus Free Speech and MN Politics Rikki Schlott & Mike Newcome

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges of free speech and political identity among Gen Z, featuring insights from journalist Rikki Schlott.

In this wide-ranging episode of The Forward Party Podcast , hosts Lindsey Drath , Gov. Christine Todd Whitman , and Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey explore a shared question shaping American civic life right now: How do we rebuild trust, restore dialogue, and lead without falling into partisan traps? The conversation brings together two distinct voices who approach that challenge from different angles, yet land on strikingly similar conclusions about leadership, speech, and responsibility. The episode opens with journalist and author Rikki Schlott , a columnist for the New York Post and co-author of The Canceling of the American Mind . Drawing from her reporting and personal experience as a Gen Z writer navigating today’s campus climate, Rikki offers a candid look at how free speech debates, social media incentives, and institutional failures are shaping young people’s political identities. She discusses why so many Gen Z voters are rejecting the two-party system, how algorithm-driven outrage pulls people toward extremes, and what universities could be doing differently to teach civil disagreement rather than fear-based silence. Rikki’s conversation with the hosts goes beyond theory. She…

People in this episode

Hosts: Lindsey Drath, Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey

Guest: Rikki Schlott

Topics covered

• free speech
• Gen Z
• political identity
• campus climate
• leadership
• dialogue
• partisan traps

Keywords

• free speech
• Gen Z
• political identity
• campus climate
• leadership
• dialogue
• partisan traps

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Post

Books & works: The Canceling of the American Mind

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