News on the side: the stories served with our meals

I never really paid attention to the TVs in the dining halls. The flashing screens displaying sports, news stations and random television shows couldn’t hold my attention as much as my friends, my phone or my wandering thoughts. That is until one afternoon.   

Around lunchtime Sept. 9, I decided to use one of my two weekly swipes at Tutor Campus Center. As I took a seat facing a television screen the size of a hot tub, I realized my phone was dead — so I might as well watch whatever was on. Projected in front of me was the headline, “Lies and Vibes: The Harris Campaign.” Taking a second look, I noticed it was Fox News, reporting on a speech Kamala Harris would give the next day. The station speculated that she would lie about Trump encouraging violence, misrepresent his comments on Charlottesville and exaggerate lawsuits against him.  

Later that day, I went to McCarthy dining hall for dinner. Once again, the TV nearest to me caught my eye, but this time it was playing CNN. The screen read, “Harris prepares for showdown she’s long sought with Trump as he takes a more informal approach.” The two stations clearly had opposing viewpoints on the same candidate, framing Harris through wildly different lenses.   

The same pattern repeated the following day but at different dining halls. This time, I ate lunch at Everybody’s Kitchen and dinner at Parkside Restaurant. At EVK, the featured Fox News criticized Harris’s speech, while CNN at Parkside applauded her performance.​​ It struck me that where I randomly decided to eat that day shaped what I saw and potentially how I perceived this event.   

After that, I started paying attention to the TVs scattered across dining halls and noticed the variety of programs they played: a range of news stations, professional and collegiate sports, the occasional TV show, weather forecasts and sometimes just music. This observation raised questions: How are these channels chosen, and do students even notice what they’re watching? 

How are Channels Selected?  

To understand how stations are chosen, I reached out to USC Hospitality, whose answer was surprisingly simple: “The televisions in the dining halls are randomly set on various channels.” 

Each day, the dining hall staff turn the TVs on, selecting channels arbitrarily. There is no strict policy, and students can even request a channel be changed.   

In an email to the Daily Trojan, a University spokesperson reaffirmed what USC Hospitality shared in their statement. 

“We can assure you: There is no omnipotent force determining which station is on at Parkside or any other residence hall,” the University spokesperson wrote. “USC does not have a magic remote that is turning the channels to stations you dislike or like … I am not sure which channel you prefer or if there are some that bother [you] or your friends more than others. It is entirely up to you to ask [sic].” 

The spokesperson went on to add “TV stations do not represent the university.”

This random method of channel selection opens up a broader conversation. For most, the TVs might just be background noise, adding ambiance to a bustling dining hall. But if students do pay attention, could the information displayed subtly influence their perceptions of events or even reinforce biases? 

TVs in Passing  

To gauge this, I interviewed USC students at the dining halls for their TV takeaways.  

“I feel like it’s usually a mix of sports, random TV channels, or like the news,” said Sara Kim, a freshman majoring in law, history and culture. 

Kim’s friend, Hailey Wilson, a freshman law, history and culture major, has had a similar experience. 

“Mostly looked at it on election day. Other times it’s not really noticeable,” Wilson said.

Wilson said she paid attention on election day because the TVs were “showing the results as it progressed,” but she doesn’t remember which station was playing.   

Tej Kollu, a freshman majoring in neuroscience, shared that he generally pays the most attention to the television when they’re playing sports. 

“When I’m by myself, I’ll watch TV. It’s usually a lot of sports, like basketball for fall, sometimes NFL,” Kollu said.

While Kollu occasionally notices the news playing, he admits that when it comes to identifying specific stations, he doesn’t pay attention.

“To be honest, I couldn’t tell you. I just noticed the news,” Kolu said.  

This seems to be the consensus: students occasionally glance at the screens, skimming headlines or watching the sports highlights, but rarely pay attention to which station is playing. Most aren’t aware of the potential biases embedded in the programs — or the fact that the random channels they’re watching could be promoting a specific narrative, subtly shaping a story to fit a particular agenda. 

The Subconscious Influence of Media  

It’s easy to dismiss the dining hall TVs as mere background noise. But consider this: For students like me, who rarely stop to think about the news they’re passively consuming, these screens can become a subtle but persistent influence. The randomness of channel selection means that students might see two completely different versions of the same story depending on the day and dining hall. 

This randomness is not inherently harmful — after all, variety exposes students to diverse perspectives. But without awareness or critical engagement, it’s also possible to internalize biased narratives without realizing it. In fact, a Pew Research Center study from 2021 found that  60% of Americans thought misinformation from the 2020 election had a significant impact on the election results.  

In an age of an information surplus, media literacy is more essential than ever. While dining hall TVs might seem inconsequential, they reflect the broader issue of how we consume media in public spaces. Regardless of their slant, news channels shape narratives that influence public opinion. For students at a university like USC, which prides itself on encouraging critical thinking, it’s crucial to recognize and question the biases in the information we encounter, even in casual settings like the dining halls. 

Looking Beyond the Screen 

The dining hall TVs serve as more than mere entertainment to enhance the dining experience. They’re a reminder of how easily we consume information without questioning its source or framing. What we do and don’t see shapes our understanding of events, making this especially important during critical moments like a presidential election. 

The randomness of the channel selection in our dining halls mirrors a larger media landscape that is also unpredictable — diverse, yet profoundly influential. By paying attention to what we’re watching, we can shift passive consumption into active engagement. In a world where headlines often carry as much weight as the stories they introduce, this small shift in awareness could make all the difference.  

Lilah Keating is a staff writer for the Daily Trojan Magazine. Keating is a freshman majoring in business administration.