MEDIA
Digital accessibility is making the wrong headlines.
Across all industries, media sites had some of the highest page failure rates for a number of key accessibility barriers, including image accessibility and page navigation.
For example, page titles help screen reader users quickly determine what information is on a page, and whether they want to keep reading. Yet nearly 62% of pages on media sites have missing frame titles — a rate that is 20% higher than the overall average.
In fact, one member of the disability community said that her local paper’s website is so inaccessible, she has to get her news from the local Facebook group. Which, as she described it, is “insane.”
“If I really want to read an article, it’s like ‘Okay, do I need to download an app? Can I read it on the website? How interested am I really?’”
Lia Stone | AudioEye A11iance Member and QA Tester
EXPERT AUDITS
Breaking down the most significant barriers on top media sites.
After reviewing the top media sites, our expert testers noted that accessibility barriers made it hard for non-sighted users to navigate between articles or fully engage with multimedia content, like slideshows and in-article images.
On average, our testers found another 17 accessibility barriers across the pages tested, which included individual articles and contact pages — including three consistent barriers that made it difficult to read articles.
1. Keyboard accessibility issues prevented users from clicking between articles.
Our experts noted several instances where multimedia content (such as slideshows) was inaccessible to keyboard-only users, who were unable to tab between slides using keyboard commands.
WCAG Criteria: 2.1.1: KeyboardOpens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual, Mobility
2. Missing skip links made site navigation difficult for screen reader users.
Our experts noted many pages were missing a “skip to main” link, which enables screen reader users to jump past a bunch of unwanted links (such as primary navigation links) and get to the main content on a page.
WCAG Criteria: 2.4.1: Bypass BlocksOpens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual
3. Unlabeled video player controls made it difficult to play/pause/stop/hide video.
Our experts encountered several video players that had unlabeled control buttons, meaning screen reader users weren’t able to play, pause, or stop video content.
WCAG Criteria: 2.2.2: Pause, Stop, HideOpens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual, Cognitive
“Media newsletters tend to be really inaccessible. It’s like they pay less attention to compliance for things like email.”
TJ Olsen | AudioEye A11iance Member and QA Tester
AUTOMATED SCAN RESULTS
Most common issues, media sites.
Our scan revealed a number of significant accessibility issues on media sites, with the most frequent offenders being missing page titles and a lack of image alternative text on images.
73% of pages on media sites had at least one image with missing or inadequate alt text.
Without descriptive alt text on images and other graphics, people with visual and cognitive impairments can struggle to understand what each one is supposed to illustrate.
WCAG Success Criteria: 1.1.1: Non-Text ContentOpens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual, Cognitive
67% of pages on media sites had at least one link that did not clearly state where it would take users.
People tend to browse media sites by navigating to a specific section, like ‘Health’ or ‘Entertainment’. When these sections are not clearly labeled, or when related articles are not clearly labeled, it can be difficult for screen reader users to navigate the site.
WCAG Success Criteria: 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context)Opens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual, Cognitive
62% of pages on media sites were missing frame titles.
Media sites had the highest rate of missing frame titles across all industries scanned, which can make it difficult for screen reader users to find content or orient themselves within a page.
WCAG Success Criteria: 3.3.2: Labels or InstructionsOpens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual, Cognitive
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