Embedded Files
During the spring of my junior year, my adviser informed us that the platform our newspaper was hosted on, Student Newspapers Online (SNO), would be banned by our county. It was going to be our last year using it, and we were expected to completely shift to another site. SNO was the backbone of our online publication, holding articles from 2016 when The Howler made its shift to being a fully digital newspaper. Our county cited security concerns as its reasoning for banning the website; however, countless schools (colleges included) across the country used SNO. My classmates and I were determined to fight to keep SNO, so we took immediate action. Below is a collection of materials that showcase my efforts in this fight for our platform.
Board Meeting Speech.pdfThis is my speech, which I delivered at a Wake County Board of Education meeting. I stressed the protection of student journalism and opposed the district’s decision to ban the SNO publishing platform. This was done by emphasizing the lack of student consultation in the decision-making process, the importance of transparency in journalism, and the availability of secure technical solutions already used by other large school districts. I also highlighted the real academic and professional consequences for student journalists, including the loss of published work critical to college portfolios. Lastly, I had printed out emails from SNO's co-founder, Tom Hutchinson, and highlighted the specific claims that supported Wake County's use of SNO as well as the solutions to concerns over security. These emails were delivered to the members of the Board of Education.
Screen Recording 2026-01-12 at 9.58.38 PM.movAbove is the live recording of my speech from the Wake County Board of Education meeting on April 8th of 2025. Here is the link to the full meeting: https://www.youtube.com/live/z32OQ6LfuDA?si=FvCA2DAMVl98EpOo
This is a group photo of the student-journalists across Wake County, with whom I collaborated to fight to keep the SNO publishing platform. We all showed up to the Board of Education meeting in blue to show our support for the platform. Before we flooded the meeting, we had been in contact for weeks prior, creating a plan where speakers could each tackle an aspect of the issue. Our collaboration taught me about leadership, teamwork, and commitment to protecting the voices of students.
Along with my classmates, I played a key role in organizing and promoting a petition to protect student journalism in Wake County Public Schools, which ultimately received over 1,100 signatures and resulted in a successful outcome. I was active in advertising this petition through social media and word of mouth, increasing visibility among students, parents, and local stakeholders.
Alongside my peers across Wake County, Sophie King, Nora Richards, and Keung Hui of The News & Observer, I discussed the many challenges student journalists in my county faced earlier in the spring. I was honored to speak at such an important event and share advice with fellow student journalists navigating censorship and other obstacles.
After the events of advocating for SNO and the demonstration at the Board of Education, I was invited to speak on the opening panel of the North Carolina Scholastic Media Institute. Hosted at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, the institute gives students hands-on experience in real-world journalism, with access to professional writers, peer collaboration, and the resources of UNC’s campus.
"Caroline showed the power of student journalism by publicizing the impact that losing SNO would have on student newspapers. Her efforts helped to convince the Wake County school system to reverse its decision to ban the use of SNO." - Keung Hui, The News & Observer
Here is one of two articles written by Keung Hui where he covered the issues student-journalists in my county were facing. Hui covered our petition and even attended the school board meeting where I gave my speech. In this article I spoke to him about what it meant to be given another year of access for our platform.
I am quoted in the article:
“We are happy with this victory, but are aware that the fight is not over until we know that we will have access to SNO for as long as our newspaper runs,” Rhoad said. “I am thankful to get to have it next year, but am ready to continue to advocate for it.”
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