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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
71
GRADE
C
FIX
2
REVIEW
5
PASS
6
INFO
0
Checks
13
6 PASS 5 REVIEW 2 FIX
D
Dark Mode Support
Action
Theme color only
FIX
Theme color only
Info::
Theme-color present but no dark variant
A theme-color is set but no dark-specific variant was found. The browser toolbar may not adapt for dark mode users.
Got: #fff
Info::
No dark mode signals detected
Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.
Info::
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles
External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.
Dark ModePartial Dark Mode
color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

F
Navigation UX
Action
No navigation patterns
FIX
No navigation patterns
Info::
3 navigation landmark(s) detected
Info::
No breadcrumbs, search, or skip link detected
These navigation aids help users orient themselves and find content efficiently, especially on large sites.
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link
Labeled Navigation 3 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
1 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
C
Heading Hierarchy
Action
40 headings
REVIEW
40 headings
Critical::
No H1 heading found
Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.
Warning::
3 empty heading(s)
Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.
  • H2 You came here for Texas news.
  • H2 Texans need truth.Help us report it.
  • H2 About
  • H2 Corrections and Clarifications
  • H2 Texas can force schools to post Ten Commandments, federal appeals court rules
  • H2 Some Dallas County Republicans trying to revive precinct voting that created chaos in primary
  • H2 James Talarico calls for federal gas tax pause to combat surging fuel prices
  • H2 Eva-Marie Ayala will lead the Tribune’s education team into a new era
  • H2 Judge rules to temporarily block Texas’ smokeable hemp ban
  • H2 Michael and Susan Dell become UT Austin’s first $1 billion donors
  • H2 Testing finds toxic metals where Tesla lithium refinery discharges wastewater in South Texas
  • H2 Corpus Christi leaders weigh how much to reduce customers’ water use amid growing crisis
  • H2 Protesters challenge premise of Texas A&M civil discourse symposium amid new restrictions
  • H2 Explore Our Data
  • H2 Elected Officials Directory
  • H2 Government Salaries Explorer
  • H2 Texas Public Schools Explorer
  • H2 Our data explorers covermany Texas topics
  • H2 The Best of the Tribune in your Inbox
  • H2 AI is changing how Texas universities teach computer science as job market slows
  • H2 Federal judge orders release of Egyptian family of six who have spent 10 months detained in Dilley detention center
  • H2 Speaker Dustin Burrows asks Texas House to investigate Roblox in response to game simulating Uvalde shooting
  • H2 Protect independent Texas journalism.
  • H2 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Democratic donor platform ActBlue
  • H2 Texas Democrats feud over party leadership as hundreds back Kendall Scudder’s chairmanship
  • H2 Low-producing oil wells linger for years, causing headaches for Texas landowners
  • H2 The Best of the Tribune in your Inbox
  • H2 Cryptocurrency industry is on track to surpass 2024 spending on Texas midterm races
  • H2 On the issues: A Q&A with Ken Paxton and John Cornyn
  • H2 Texas will launch its own clinical trials into ibogaine psychedelic after failing to find a drug company to help
  • H2 Trump taps Texas’ top public health official as CDC chief medical officer
  • H2 Texas Medical Board sanctions three doctors for delayed care in the deaths of two pregnant women
  • H2 Texas grid operator forecasts massive growth in demand, but says data is likely flawed
  • H2 Topics
  • H2 Info
  • H2 Social Media
  • H2 Gift this article
  • H2 (empty)
  • H2 (empty)
  • H3 (empty)

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

Why this matters

No H1 means screen-reader users can't identify the page's primary topic, and Google's content-extraction degrades.

Learn more ▾

The H1 is the document title for assistive tech and a strong signal to search engines about page topic. Pages without one force screen readers to fall back to the <title> attribute or page chrome. Add a single H1 that names the page's primary subject.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.

Why this matters

Empty <hN> tags break the document outline — screen-reader users navigating by heading hit dead silence.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6

C
Form Accessibility
Action
5 of 12 controls have issues
REVIEW
5 of 12 controls have issues
Critical::
1 control(s) without accessible label
Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.
Got: <input type="submit" name="submit" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-button-submit">
Warning::
4 control(s) rely on placeholder only
Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.
Got: <input type="email" name="npe" id="newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-32202-email">; <input type="email" name="npe" id="newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-10523-email">; <input type="email" name="npe" id="newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-36519-email">; <input type="email" name="npe" id="newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-5833-email">
Info::
7 control(s) properly labeled
12 controls
7 labeled
4 placeholder only
1 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#search-form-1searchSearch for:for/id
#search-form-2searchSearch for:for/id
#content-gifting-urltextLinkfor/id
#jp-carousel-comment-form-comment-fieldtextareaWrite a Comment...for/id
#jp-carousel-comment-form-email-fieldtextEmail (Required)for/id
#jp-carousel-comment-form-author-fieldtextName (Required)for/id
#jp-carousel-comment-form-url-fieldtextWebsitefor/id
#newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-10523-emailemail(Email Address)placeholder only
#newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-36519-emailemail(Email Address)placeholder only
#newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-5833-emailemail(Email Address)placeholder only
#newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-32202-emailemail(Email Address)placeholder only
#jp-carousel-comment-form-button-submitsubmit(none)none

Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.

<input type="submit" name="submit" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-button-submit">

Why this matters

Form controls without labels — assistive tech announces 'edit text' with no context; users can't complete forms.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2

Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.

<input type="email" name="npe" id="newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-32202-email">; <input type="email" name="npe" id="newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-10523-email">; <input type="email" name="npe" id="newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-36519-email">; <input type="email" name="npe" id="newspack-newsletters-subscribe-block-input-5833-email">

Why this matters

Placeholder-only labels disappear when the user starts typing — they must remember what the field was for.

Learn more ▾

Placeholders are NOT labels. They vanish on input, fail color contrast checks (most are gray), and don't satisfy WCAG SC 3.3.2. Always use a real <label> alongside (or aria-labelledby).

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2 / Nielsen Norman

C
404 Error Page
Action
HTTP 404, custom page
REVIEW
HTTP 404, custom page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page not found - The Texas Tribune ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗
B
Favicon & Branding
6 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
6 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✓ Apple Touch Present
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✓ Manifest Icons Present
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
A
Landmark Structure
11 landmarks
PASS
11 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
3 <nav> landmark(s) found
Info::
All <nav> elements are properly labeled
Warning::
Skip navigation link is missing (WCAG 2.4.1)
Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV "Secondary Menu" MAIN ASIDE "Footer" CONTENTINFO footer

Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.

Why this matters

Without a skip-nav link, keyboard users tab through every nav item before reaching content — every page, every visit.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) requires a mechanism to skip past repeated content. The standard implementation is a 'Skip to main content' link that's the first focusable element, visually hidden until focused. Three lines of HTML + four of CSS.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.1

A+
Alt Text Quality
All 29 images OK
PASS
All 29 images OK
Info::
7 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
22 image(s) with good alt text
29 images 22 good alt text 7 decorative
All images have appropriate alt text.
A+
Web Manifest
PWA-ready
PASS
PWA-ready
Info::
Meets PWA install criteria
Info::
Name present: The Texas Tribune
Info::
192x192 icon present
Info::
512x512 icon present
Info::
Display mode: minimal-ui
PWA Install Criteria ✓ Installable
Name The Texas Tribune ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL https://www.texastribune.org/ ✓Display Mode minimal-ui ✓
Name The Texas Tribune Display Mode minimal-ui Theme Color #fff Background Color #fff Icons 2 icon(s)
A+
Print Stylesheet
Print styles detected
PASS
Print styles detected
Info::
External print stylesheet detected
Got: https://www.texastribune.org/wp-content/themes/newspack-theme/styles/print.css?ver=2.21.0
Print Stylesheet ✓ Print Optimized
Print stylesheet https://www.texastribune.org/wp-content/themes/newspack-theme/styles/print.css?ver=2.21.0 ✓Inline @media print Not detected ✗
A+
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
20 text elements analyzed, 0 fail WCAG AA
PASS

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

20 pass
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h2 You came here for Te…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Texans need truth.21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Help us report it.21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 About21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Corrections and Clar…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Explore Our Data21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Our data explorers c…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 many Texas topics21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 The Best of the Trib…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Protect independent …21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 The Best of the Trib…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Topics21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Info21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Social Media21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Gift this article21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
title The Texas Tribune21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
p Never miss a story w…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span JOIN THE LIST21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
p Independent Texas re…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a DONATE TODAY21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

A
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 93/100 — 2 failing, 27 passed
PASS
93

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune article.category-courts > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune article.tag-dallas-county > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune article.tag-elections > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Brandon Formby/The Texas Tribune article.tag-education > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribune article.tag-department-of-state-health-services > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune article.tag-dell > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Manoo Sirivelu/The Texas Tribune article.tag-artificial-intelligence > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune article.tag-dilley > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Juan Carlo/Ventura County Star/USA TODAY Network via REUTERS article.tag-dustin-burrows > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune article.tag-democrats > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune article.tag-democrats > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Paul Ratje for Inside Climate News article.tag-oil-and-natural-gas > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune article.tag-al-green > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Illustration by Megan Hicks/Fernando Alvarez Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune. Source… article.tag-2026-elections > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune article.category-health-care > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Photos by Danielle Villasana for ProPublica article.category-health-care > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit
Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune article.tag-data-centers > figure.post-thumbnail > figcaption.has-credit > span.image-credit

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Best practices

Touch targets with sufficient size and spacing help users who may have difficulty targeting small controls to activate the targets. Learn more about touch targets.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
T-SQUARED article.tag-education > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
HEALTH CARE article.tag-department-of-state-health-services > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
HEALTH CARE article.tag-dell > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
HIGHER EDUCATION article.tag-artificial-intelligence > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
IMMIGRATION article.tag-dilley > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
POLITICS article.tag-dustin-burrows > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
POLITICS article.tag-democrats > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
2026 TEXAS ELECTIONS article.tag-democrats > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
ENERGY article.tag-oil-and-natural-gas > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
2026 TEXAS ELECTIONS article.tag-al-green > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
2026 TEXAS ELECTIONS article.tag-2026-elections > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
HEALTH CARE article.category-health-care > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
HEALTH CARE article.tag-department-of-state-health-services > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
HEALTH CARE article.category-health-care > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
STATE GOVERNMENT article.tag-data-centers > div.entry-wrapper > div.cat-links > a.newspack-featured-series
Powered by Newspack footer#colophon > div.site-info > div.wrapper > a.imprint
Privacy Policy footer#colophon > div.site-info > div.wrapper > a.privacy-policy-link

These items highlight common accessibility best practices.

○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable
○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state
○The page has a logical tab order
○Visual order on the page follows DOM order
○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region
○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page
○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation
○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology
○Custom controls have associated labels
○Custom controls have ARIA roles
●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles
●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`
●`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes
●`[role]` values are valid
●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values
●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled
●Buttons have an accessible name
●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes
●Form elements have associated labels
●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.
●`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role
●`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents
●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes
●Document has a `<title>` element
●`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title
●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute
●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute
●Links are distinguishable without relying on color.
●Links have a discernible name
●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).
●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements
●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0
●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●Identical links have the same purpose.
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.
○ARIA input fields have accessible names
○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names
○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names
○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.
○`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element
○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.
○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names
○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names
○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names
○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region
○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.
○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements
○ARIA IDs are unique
○No form fields have multiple labels
○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.
○Input buttons have discernible text.
○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text
○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`
○`<object>` elements have alternate text
○Select elements have associated label elements.
○Skip links are focusable.
○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.
○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.
○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value
○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`
○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.
○All heading elements contain content.
○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements
○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.
○Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.
○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.
○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.
All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.

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