Oprah Winfrey shared some words of wisdom with college students as she addressed the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism graduating class during their commencement ceremony on Friday in LA.
“I want to get the bad news out first,” Winfrey told the 900 graduates. “Everything around us, including and in particular, the internet and social media, are now being used to erode trust in our institutions, interfere in our elections and wreak havoc on our infrastructure.”
But the media mogul, 64, quickly added there is also good news. “There really is a solution. Because you will become the new editorial gatekeepers to strike out deceit. You all are the ones who will keep those people in check,” she said. “You can answer false narratives by setting the record straight.”
The A Wrinkle in Time actor also gave a special shout out to Thando Dlomo, a USC graduate who was in the very first class at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, enrolling in 2007 as a 7th grader.
Winfrey told the audience at the Shrine Auditorium, “Your job now is to take everything you’ve learned here to challenge the left, the right, and the center. When you see something, you say something, and you say it with the facts to back it up. The truth has always been and always be our shield against corruption.”
She also urged students to get their voice heard.
“The rumors from my last big speech have finally died down… Vote! Pay attention to the people who claim to represent you and your values.”
Winfrey, who in previous years, has been the commencement speaker at Stanford, Harvard and Howard University told the gradates, “Put your honor where your mouth is. When you give your word, keep it. Do the work. Get your hands dirty,” she said. “You build a legacy, not from one thing, but from everything.”
She also offered a handy list of tips to follow in life which included; “Pay your bills on time, make your bed, put your phone away at the dinner table, and get a good mattress—your back will thank you.”
