Columnist and commentator Liz Peek joins FIRE’s Advisory Council

FIRE is pleased to welcome political columnist and commentator Liz Peek to our Advisory Council, where she brings a wealth of experience in the media and financial industries to the fight for free expression.

As a columnist for The Hill, Fox News, and the New York Sun, and a frequent on-air contributor to various Fox News and Fox Business programs, Liz doesn’t only defend the free exchange of ideas: She actively participates in it. She regularly opines on issues from economics to public policy to culture, often from a conservative perspective. Notably, she has criticized the government’s efforts to influence the moderation decisions of private social media companies, a disturbing issue that has long been on FIRE’s radar.

“No public official should determine what can be broadcast or published, within obvious parameters. No one should be investigated or harassed because they have challenged the authorities,” said Liz. “Preserving free speech means all voices are heard.”

Across her storied career, Liz has written for a wide range of media outlets including The Fiscal Times, the New York Post, the Huffington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. To these outlets, she brings expertise from more than 20 years on Wall Street, working as an energy analyst and executive, eventually becoming the first female partner of the investment firm Wertheim & Company. 

After retiring from finance, the Manhattan resident became involved in numerous New York-based nonprofits: She served as chairman of the board of both the Fashion Institute of Technology, a SUNY college, and Partnership with Children, a social services agency. She has also served on the executive committees of the School of American Ballet and the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy.

Liz is particularly concerned about how ideological imbalances in academia can create the conditions for censorship, and she worries about the impact on education when elite institutions refuse to hire people with different points of view. She was drawn to FIRE because of our work to remedy these problems. 

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“Censoring or banning speakers on campus who bring a different perspective — most often a conservative view — weakens the claim of our colleges and universities to be centers of learning and exploration,” she said. “We learn through argument. No argument, no progress.”

While acknowledging that she finds the silencing of conservative voices particularly pernicious today, Liz emphasizes the importance of protecting all views — and laments that free speech is increasingly viewed as a partisan issue. 

“I think free speech is critical to our country and its values,” she said. “I am alarmed that so many have consigned it to the dustbin of history.”

In her role on FIRE’s Advisory Council, she is well-positioned to help bring that critical value back to our campuses, courtrooms, and the country at large. 

“FIRE makes me hopeful about the future of free speech,” said Liz, “as well as the honesty, common sense and basic instincts of most Americans.”