Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

5 PASS 4 REVIEW 4 FIX

Web Manifest

Action

Not found

FIX

Not found

No web manifest found

No manifest at standard paths (/manifest.json, /site.webmanifest). A manifest is optional but enables PWA features like home screen installation and standalone display.

No web manifest found.

Dark Mode Support

Action

No dark mode signals

FIX

No dark mode signals

No dark mode signals detected

Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.

Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Print Stylesheet

Action

No print styles

FIX

No print styles

No print-specific styles detected

When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.

Print Stylesheet No Print Styles

Print stylesheet Not found ✗Inline @media print Not detected ✗

Alt Text Quality

2 of 38 images have issues

REVIEW

2 of 38 images have issues

1 image(s) missing alt attribute

Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.

1 image(s) with generic alt text

15 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters

2 decorative image(s) correctly marked

19 image(s) with good alt text

38 images 19 good alt text 2 decorative 1 generic 1 missing

Issue	Count
missing	1 image(s)
generic	1 image(s)
too long	15 image(s)

Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.

Why this matters

Each image without alt text is a WCAG 1.1.1 failure — invisible to screen-reader users, lost from Google Image Search.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.1 Level A requires text alternatives for non-decorative images. Empty alt='' is fine for decorative; meaningful images need descriptive text. Common fixes: CMS audit + bulk add, build-time linter (alt-text-required ESLint rule), CI gate on Lighthouse a11y score.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.1.1 / WebAIM Million Report

Link & Button Quality

1 issue(s) across 289 links and 9 buttons

REVIEW

1 issue(s) across 289 links and 9 buttons

1 link(s) with no accessible text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

Got: a#push-email-link

7 link(s) open in new tab without warning

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

Got: https://www.medianewsgroup.com/privacy-policy/; https://business.safety.google/privacy/; http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/san-jose-ca/95110/current-weather/39768_pc?l…; http://enewspaper.mercurynews.com; http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/san-jose-ca/95110/current-weather/39768_pc?l…; http://enewspaper.mercurynews.com; https://vip.wordpress.com/

281 link(s) with descriptive text

289 links

1 empty

0 generic text

7 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://www.medianewsgroup.com/privacy-p…	Data Storage Policy	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://business.safety.google/privacy/	Google Privacy Policy	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/san-jos…	Current temperature is 62°F, …	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
http://enewspaper.mercurynews.com	Today's e-Edition	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/san-jos…	Current temperature is 62°F, …	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
http://enewspaper.mercurynews.com	Today's e-Edition	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://vip.wordpress.com/	Powered by WordPress.com VIP	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

290 links and buttons have descriptive text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

a#push-email-link

Why this matters

Links with no accessible text (empty <a></a>, image-only no alt, icon-only no aria-label) are unidentifiable to screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

https://www.medianewsgroup.com/privacy-policy/; https://business.safety.google/privacy/; http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/san-jose-ca/95110/current-weather/39768_pc?l…; http://enewspaper.mercurynews.com; http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/san-jose-ca/95110/current-weather/39768_pc?l…; http://enewspaper.mercurynews.com; https://vip.wordpress.com/

Why this matters

Links with target="_blank" without rel="noopener" leak the originating page's window context — security and UX issue.

Learn more ▾

Without rel="noopener", the new tab can navigate the original tab via window.opener (tab-nabbing attack). Modern browsers default to noopener for target=_blank but only since recent versions. Always set rel="noopener noreferrer" explicitly.

Source: MDN target / OWASP

404 Error Page

HTTP 404, custom page

REVIEW

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

Navigation links present on 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page not found – The Mercury News ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗

Favicon & Branding

4 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

4 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

Multiple icon sizes detected

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

Landmark Structure

72 landmarks

PASS

72 landmarks

<main> landmark present

3 <nav> landmark(s) found

1 of 3 <nav> elements are unlabeled

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Why this matters

Some <nav> elements lack aria-label — screen-reader users hear 'navigation' multiple times with no way to distinguish them.

Learn more ▾

When a page has multiple <nav> regions (primary, footer, breadcrumb), each needs aria-label or aria-labelledby. AT users navigate by landmark; identical 'navigation' announcements force them to enter each one to discover purpose.

Source: WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices

Heading Hierarchy

83 headings

PASS

83 headings

Multiple H1 headings (2 found)

A page should have only one H1. Multiple H1s dilute the document outline.

1 empty heading(s)

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

H1 The Mercury News
H1 (empty)
H2 Featured
H3 Sky-high office vacancy levels haunt Bay Area’s three major downtowns
H3 Related
H4 San Jose deal underscores Bay Area office market tumble
H3 Another day of rain in Bay Area may come with thunder, lightning
H3 Los Gatos nude resort no longer up for sale as owner assesses future
H3 Why Steve Kerr should (or shouldn’t) return as Warriors coach
H3 Benihana celebrates San Mateo presence today
H2 Latest Headlines
H3 San Jose man arrested after alleged assault at Peter’s Bakery
H3 12 standout sandwiches in the Bay Area, from new discoveries to the classics
H3 Surprise reason Sydney Sweeney’s role was cut from ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’
H3 Richmond police ID city’s first homicide victim of 2026
H3 Democrat Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigns before the House can sanction her in ethics case
H3 Reservoirs are in good shape, but officials declare dry conditions in upper Russian River for first time in years. Here’s why
H3 Kylie Jenner sued for religious, racial discrimination and harassment
H2 Most Popular
H2 Crime and Public Safety
H3 Teen fishing tournament boat collision in East Bay injures 6
H3 D4vd placed in segregation following Celeste Rivas murder arrest
H3 Man robs Oakland bank
H3 Tesla crash, fire force closure of northbound Interstate 280 in Daly City
H2 Sports
H3 Washington State athletics: How Haarlow, Cantwell will define future
H3 FIFA to put more more World Cup tickets on sale after adding new, more expensive categories
H3 High school softball rankings, April 21, 2026: Bay Area News Group Top 20
H3 High school baseball rankings April 21, 2026: Bay Area News Group Top 20
H2 Real Estate
H3 South Bay electricity grid to get boost with new transmission line
H3 Proposal looks to turn San Jose hotel development site into housing
H3 With limited dollars, this East Bay city asks how it can make the biggest impact on affordable housing
H3 Tesla widens regional footprint with deals in San Jose, Fremont
H2 Photos
H3 Northern California beach town offers great hiking, barbecue, ice cream and more
H3 Sustainable sushi: How to forage uni from California’s coastal tide pools
H3 Latest Bay Area storm continues wettest April in nearly a decade
H3 Warriors veterans talk Steve Kerr’s future, contract situations during exit interviews
H3 Photos: Iconic rock act returns to NorCal for 1st time in over 12 years
H3 Coachella 2026: The best fashion from Weekend 2 of the festival
H3 Photos: Sun sets on the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
H3 Meet the soul-food chef singing the praises of Oakland, top food city
H3 Navy doctor who led the recovery at Artemis II splashdown recounts experience welcoming home astronauts
H3 Review: Phish blows minds during marathon opening night at Sphere
H3 Prop. 64 at 10: Why the illicit cannabis market still dominates in California
H3 New Alysa Liu and Kristi Yamaguchi mural at Oakland Ice Center
H2 Things To Do
H3 Sydney Sweeney’s cameo cut from ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’: report
H3 The Osmonds’ Alan Osmond dead at 76 following lengthy MS battle
H3 Clover Sonoma jumps back into the North Bay ice cream business
H3 Need a clean public bathroom? This Bay Area online map has you covered
H2 Restaurants, Food and Drink
H3 Expanded Whole Foods Market opens in Los Gatos
H3 Celebrate spring with Roasted Asparagus With Preserved Lemon Labneh
H3 Northern California beach town offers great hiking, barbecue, ice cream and more
H3 Sustainable sushi: How to forage uni from California’s coastal tide pools
H2 Opinion
H3 Ellenberg: Dear candidates for governor, California’s counties need your urgent attention
H3 Why your Google search won’t be carbon free anytime soon
H3 Frozen lasagna dispute shows how arbitrary California tax law can be
H3 The results are in, and same-sex marriage was a win for children and society
H2 Business
H3 Tesla’s California sales slide deepens as hybrids displace EVs
H3 Consumers are lost at sea as seafood sustainability grows more complex
H3 California home prices dip for 3 straight months
H3 AI startup Anthropic commits $100 billion to Amazon’s AWS over next 10 years
H2 Celebrities
H3 Tucker Carlson turns on Trump, apologizes for ‘misleading people’
H3 No statute of limitations applies in Katy Perry sex abuse claim by Ruby Rose
H3 Madonna’s vintage costume, jewelry are missing after her Coachella performance
H3 Christina Applegate ‘getting stronger’ amid hospitalization reports
H2 Housing
H3 Palo Alto: Two-bedroom home sells for $1.5 million
H3 East Palo Alto: Single-family home goes for $1.1 million
H3 Four-bedroom house sells for $1.3 million in San Ramon
H3 Danville: Condominium sells for $1 million
H2 Best Reviews
H3 These mesmerizing lava lamps create a calming retro atmosphere
H3 These premium calf massagers provide professional relief at home
H3 These professional poker tables bring the casino experience home
H3 These high-performance LED headlights provide instant full road brightness
H2 Events

A page should have only one H1. Multiple H1s dilute the document outline.

Why this matters

Multiple H1s blur the page's primary topic — screen-reader users and Google both prefer one H1.

Learn more ▾

HTML5's outline algorithm technically allows multiple H1s within sectioning content, but no browser implements it. In practice: one H1 per page. Use H2-H6 for subsections.

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

Form Accessibility

1 of 6 controls have issues

PASS

1 of 6 controls have issues

1 control(s) without accessible label

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

Got: <input type="checkbox" id="push-user-spoof-control">

5 control(s) properly labeled

6 controls

5 labeled

0 placeholder only

1 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#osano-cm-dialog-toggle--category_STORAGE	checkbox		none
#osano-cm-dialog-toggle--category_MARKETING	checkbox		none
#osano-cm-dialog-toggle--category_PERSONALIZATION	checkbox		none
#osano-cm-dialog-toggle--category_ANALYTICS	checkbox		none
#mng-search-focus	text	Type your search	aria-label
#push-user-spoof-control	checkbox	(none)	none

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

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

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)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 The Mercury News	18.43:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F0F0	Pass
h2 Featured	18.43:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F0F0	Pass
h2 Most Popular	18.43:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F0F0	Pass
h2 Events	18.43:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F0F0	Pass
h3 Related	18.43:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F0F0	Pass
title The Mercury News - B…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Opens in a new windo…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Opens an external we…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Opens an external we…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span We and our 36 IAB TC…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Personal data may be…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Our third party IAB …	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span You may change your …	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span You may close this b…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Data Storage Policy	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Google Privacy Polic…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Storage Preferences	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Third Parties	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Storage	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Targeted Advertising	21.00:1	4.5:1	#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 95/100 — 1 failing, 26 passed

PASS

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.

Names and labels

Informative elements should aim for short, descriptive alternate text. Decorative elements can be ignored with an empty alt attribute. Learn more about the `alt` attribute.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
body.home > img#06db9294 `body.home > img#06db9294`

These are opportunities to improve the semantics of the controls in your application. This may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

○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

●`[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

●Background and foreground colors have a sufficient contrast ratio

●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 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

●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

●Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○`[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

○Form elements have associated labels

○Links are distinguishable without relying on color.

○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.

○Identical links have the same purpose.

○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.