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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
69
GRADE
D
FIX
3
REVIEW
4
PASS
6
INFO
0
Checks
13
6 PASS 4 REVIEW 3 FIX
D
Dark Mode Support
Action
No dark mode signals
FIX
No dark mode signals
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 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.

D
Print Stylesheet
Action
No print styles
FIX
No print styles
Info::
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 ✗
D
Navigation UX
Action
1 navigation pattern(s)
FIX
1 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Search functionality detected
Got: role-search
Info::
3 navigation landmark(s) detected
Info::
Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)
Breadcrumbs
Search role='search' landmark
Skip Link
Labeled Navigation 3 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
3 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Strong navigation UX with multiple discovery paths.
B
Form Accessibility
2 of 3 controls have issues
REVIEW
2 of 3 controls have issues
Warning::
2 control(s) rely on placeholder only
Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.
Got: <input type="search" name="q">; <input type="search" name="q">
Info::
1 control(s) properly labeled
3 controls
1 labeled
2 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#mobile-region-dropdownselectEdition:for/id
qsearch(Search analysis, research, academics…)placeholder only
qsearch(Search analysis, research, academics…)placeholder only

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

<input type="search" name="q">; <input type="search" name="q">

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

B
404 Error Page
HTTP 404, custom page
REVIEW
HTTP 404, custom page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
Info::
Navigation links present on 404 page
Info::
Search form present on 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page not found ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✓
C
Favicon & Branding
Action
3 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
3 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✓ Apple Touch Present
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✓ Manifest Icons Present
✗ Multiple Sizes Missing
A
Landmark Structure
12 landmarks
PASS
12 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.
Info::
Search landmark present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV "Menu" SEARCH MAIN 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
Heading Hierarchy
100 headings
PASS
100 headings
Info::
Single H1 present
Warning::
3 empty heading(s)
Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.
  • H1 The Conversation U.S. - News written by researchers and scientists to help you understand
  • H2 Top stories
  • H3 Why the US military is stuck using $1 million missiles against Iran’s $20,000 drones
  • H3 US government ramps up mass surveillance with help of AI tech, data brokers – and your apps and devices
  • H3 NATO’s internal cohesion is being threatened (again) – but in pushing for support on Iran, Trump may risk eroding US influence on the alliance
  • H3 Placebo effect can work as well as real medicine – but your body may need permission to use it
  • H3 Hurricanes devastated Florida’s East Coast – then seagrass made an unexpected comeback
  • H3 Despite all the likes, literallys and dropped g’s, English isn’t decaying before our eyes
  • H3 Data centers don’t have to be a burden on local communities – and can even support them by generating power and repurposing waste heat
  • H3 Umbilical cord blood may hold clues for a child’s risk of developing Type 1 diabetes
  • H3 Attending multiple places of worship is the norm for many Americans
  • H3 Agricultural work is dangerous – but good communication can save lives in Colorado
  • H4 Get context to understand the news, in your inbox daily or weekly
  • H3 We designed the turf for soccer’s biggest World Cup ever – here’s how we created the same playing experience across 3 countries
  • H3 Signs of economic instability emerge in Oakland County, one of Michigan’s wealthiest
  • H3 Intimate partner homicide has clear warning signs – and is often preventable, research shows
  • H3 ICE’s heavy-handed immigration enforcement was tried once before – by Arizona’s notorious sheriff Joe Arpaio in the early 2000s
  • H3 When oil prices spike, where does the money go?
  • H3 Don’t just plant trees, plant forests to restore biodiversity for the future
  • H4 Join the 1,746 readers who give monthly to fund fact-based journalism
  • H3 1914 Ludlow Massacre took lives of 25 miners and family members during bitter strike for fair wages and conditions
  • H3 Schools are supposed to limit using restraint and seclusion to discipline kids – but parents I spoke with say the practice is wildly misused
  • H3 Most people do not realize when a personal message they receive was written by AI, study finds
  • H3 Is the science that we do today truth, likely to be a lie, or is it undetermined?
  • H3 It’s a myth that baby boys are less social than girls – a new look at decades of research shows all babies are born to connect
  • H2 More from The Conversation
  • H3 You make our independent, evidence-based journalism possible
  • H3 Get one great story in your inbox every afternoon
  • H3 The best of The Conversation U.S., each Sunday
  • H3 Experts answer the fascinating questions of kids
  • H2 (empty)
  • H2 (empty)
  • H2 U.S.-Iran war
  • H3 One-way attack drones: Low-cost, high-tech weapons ‘democratize’ precision warfare
  • H3 Iran’s military forces combine state-of-the-art drones and hackers with out-of-date conventional weapons
  • H3 Strait of Hormuz: Why the US and Iran are sailing in very different legal waters
  • H3 The Islamabad talks were doomed to failure – and Hormuz blockade has thrown another obstacle to any Iran-US deal
  • H3 4 ways the war in Iran has weakened the United States in the great power game
  • H2 Philosophy and ethics
  • H3 Moral metrics: Are corporate algorithms becoming our new moral authorities?
  • H3 Paul Ehrlich, often called alarmist for dire warnings about human harms to the Earth, believed scientists had a responsibility to speak out
  • H3 What an ancient Chinese philosopher can teach us about Americans’ obsession with college rankings
  • H3 Iran war and other tough topics give K-12 teachers chance to teach students how, not what, to think
  • H3 I was teaching virtue and knowledge while lying on the side
  • H2 Extreme weather and natural disasters
  • H3 Your local fishing hole is getting browner, changing which fish species thrive and which ones struggle
  • H3 What if Texas’ destructive Tax Day storm had centered on inner Houston instead? It’s why cities should plan for the improbable
  • H3 Water conservation works, but climate change is outpacing it: Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas offer a glimpse of the future
  • H3 Winter’s alarmingly low snowpack reflects the changing rhythm of water in the western US
  • H3 Can you survive inside a tornado? This scientist did by accident – he’s lucky to be alive
  • H4 Are you an academic expert who wants to share your knowledge?
  • H2 ICE and immigration
  • H3 Philadelphia’s 40-year history of protecting undocumented immigrants began with churches hiding refugees from El Salvador
  • H3 We teach at a Florida university that agreed to cooperate with ICE – and we worry that it is making our students feel less safe
  • H3 US refugee policy for white South Africans is part of a century-long effort to keep some English-speaking nations white
  • H3 ICE buys $87M warehouse in Pennsylvania − can local officials block a detention facility?
  • H3 Why ICE’s body camera policies make the videos unlikely to improve accountability and transparency
  • H2 Trump administration
  • H3 Trump sidelined Congress’ authority over war on Iran – and lawmakers allowed it, extending a 75-year trend
  • H3 Trump’s coercive tactics in Latin America evoke era of gunboat diplomacy – and the rise of anti-imperialism it helped spur
  • H3 How Trump’s repeated efforts to fire Federal Reserve Chair Powell harm the economy – and make battling inflation harder
  • H3 Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?
  • H3 Why Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon prayer services challenge traditional notions of separation of church and state – but might be blessed by the Roberts Supreme Court
  • H2 (empty)
  • H2 International
  • H3 Mozambique relies on Rwanda’s troops to fight terrorism: what happens if they leave?
  • H3 How debate about gender identity could undermine global efforts to protect victims of violence
  • H3 80 years later, scholarship is breaking silence on women’s suffering and strength at Treblinka – including their role in its uprising
  • H3 What Viktor Orbán’s election loss means for Putin, Trump and the rise of right-wing populism
  • H3 Pope Leo XIV’s Africa journey: How each stop reflects his message of peace
  • H2 New research in health and science
  • H3 Using atomic nuclei could allow scientists to read time more precisely than ever – what this research could mean for future clocks
  • H3 Ads for GLP-1 drugs are flooding the internet – here’s how to know if it’s safe to buy them online
  • H3 Antibiotics can trigger bacteria to release bubbles of inflammation tinder, making it harder to treat infection
  • H3 Mosquitoes carrying malaria are evolving more quickly than insecticides can kill them – researchers pinpoint how
  • H3 New study measures titanium in Apollo rock to uncover Moon’s early chemistry
  • H2 Artificial intelligence
  • H3 Thousands of AI-written, edited or ‘polished’ books are being sold – an eerie echo of Orwell’s ‘novel-writing machines’
  • H3 AI companions can give constant support – but distort ideas about what a relationship really is
  • H3 AIs have ‘personalities’ – here’s how they affect you more deeply than you may realize
  • H3 AI can design and run thousands of lab experiments without human hands. Humanity isn’t ready for the new risks this brings to biology
  • H3 Industries most exposed to AI are not only seeing productivity gains but jobs and wage growth too
  • H2 You might also like…
  • H3 How Islamophobic rhetoric leaves an impact on the mental health of Muslim Americans
  • H3 Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas not only recorded an anthem for the civil rights era – they fought for fair pay and proudly called themselves divas
  • H3 About half of young Americans can’t name a single Holocaust site, repeating a pattern of ignorance seen in postwar Germany
  • H3 Cannabis sales and use are high in Michigan – but federal law means research lags behind
  • H3 Health information delivered as a video game can bridge the communication gap between patients and providers
  • H2 Most read this week
  • H3 Massive eye drop recall reflects ongoing issues with manufacturing and FDA inspection
  • H3 ‘Bouncing back’ is a myth – resilience means integrating hard experiences into your life story, not ignoring them
  • H3 Iran’s military forces combine state-of-the-art drones and hackers with out-of-date conventional weapons
  • H3 Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas not only recorded an anthem for the civil rights era – they fought for fair pay and proudly called themselves divas
  • H3 Why the future of marijuana legalization remains hazy despite high public support
  • H3 Strait of Hormuz: Why the US and Iran are sailing in very different legal waters
  • H2 Our partners and funders
  • H3 Founding Partners
  • H3 Funders
  • H3 Members
  • H4 The Conversation democratizes knowledge by helping academic experts to write for the public. Free to read. Free to republish. No ads or paywalls.

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

A
Alt Text Quality
All 261 images OK
PASS
All 261 images OK
Info::
8 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters
Info::
15 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
238 image(s) with good alt text
261 images 238 good alt text 15 decorative
IssueCount
too long8 image(s)
A
Web Manifest
PWA-ready
PASS
PWA-ready
Info::
Meets PWA install criteria
Info::
Name present: The Conversation
Info::
192x192 icon present
Info::
Display mode: standalone
PWA Install Criteria ✓ Installable
Name The Conversation ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✗Start URL / ✓Display Mode standalone ✓
Name The Conversation Display Mode standalone Theme Color #ffffff Background Color #ffffff Icons 1 icon(s)
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
h1 The Conversation U.S…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Top stories21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 More from The Conver…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 U.S.-Iran war21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Philosophy and ethic…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Extreme weather and …21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 ICE and immigration21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Trump administration21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 International21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 New research in heal…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Artificial intellige…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 You might also like…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Most read this week21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Our partners and fun…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
title The Conversation U.S…14.63:14.5:1
#000000
#D7D7DB
Pass
button Skip to content18.29:14.5:1
#000000
#EFEFF1
Pass
a Home21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Arts + Culture21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Economy21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Education21.00:14.5:1
#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 100/100 — 0 failing, 30 passed
PASS
100

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.

○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
●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
●`[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.
●Select elements have associated label elements.
●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
●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute
●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute
●Links have a discernible name
●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
●All heading elements contain content.
●Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements
●Identical links have the same purpose.
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
○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 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
○`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title
○`<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
○Links are distinguishable without relying on color.
○Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).
○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`
○`<object>` elements have alternate text
○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>`.
○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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