CNN cnn.com
Accessibility score
League position
3rdof 10
Issues found
1
Audits passed
23
Accessibility score over time
weekly scans · last 6 months- Good · 90+
- Needs improvement · 70–89
- Poor · Below 70
This month's scan
Issues found
SeriousText must remain readable when spacing is increased6 elements
People with low vision and dyslexia increase line height, letter spacing, word spacing, and paragraph spacing so they can read. Fixed-height boxes and overflow: hidden containers clip or overlap that text, which is a loss of content under WCAG 1.4.12.
Failing Elements
<span class="container__headline-text" data-editable="headline">
<span class="container__headline-text" data-editable="headline">
<span class="container__headline-text" data-editable="headline">
<span class="container__headline-text" data-editable="headline">
<span class="container__headline-text" data-editable="headline">
<span class="container__headline-text" data-editable="headline">
Passed audits23 across 1 page
<html> element must have a lang attribute1 element
Screen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.
Audit Elements
<html lang="en" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_pages/clg34ol9u000047nodabud1o2@published" data-layout-uri="cms.cnn.com/_layouts/layout-homepage/instances/homepage-domestic@published" data-site="cnn" class="userconsent-cntry-us userconsent-state-ca userconsent-reg-us">
<html> element must have a valid value for the lang attribute1 element
Screen readers use language-specific sound libraries for proper pronunciation. Invalid language attributes cause screen readers to use the wrong library, making text sound like a confusing accent or completely unintelligible, especially for multilingual users who access content in multiple languages.
Audit Elements
<html lang="en" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_pages/clg34ol9u000047nodabud1o2@published" data-layout-uri="cms.cnn.com/_layouts/layout-homepage/instances/homepage-domestic@published" data-site="cnn" class="userconsent-cntry-us userconsent-state-ca userconsent-reg-us">
All page content should be contained by landmarks2 elements
Content should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.
Audit Elements
<div data-testid="test-announcerElemen..." id="announcerElement" style="position: absolute !..." aria-live="polite">
<div id="onetrust-consent-sdk" data-nosnippet="true">
ARIA attributes must be used as specified for the element's role1 element
Using ARIA attributes where they're not expected causes unpredictable behavior in assistive technologies. Following the ARIA specification ensures that screen readers and other tools can properly interpret and communicate your content's meaning to people with disabilities.
Audit Elements
<div data-testid="test-announcerElemen..." id="announcerElement" style="position: absolute !..." aria-live="polite">
ARIA attributes must conform to valid names1 element
Misspelled or non-existent ARIA attributes cannot perform their intended accessibility function. Assistive technologies rely on correctly spelled, current ARIA attributes to convey proper user interface behaviors and structural information to people with disabilities.
Audit Elements
<div data-testid="test-announcerElemen..." id="announcerElement" style="position: absolute !..." aria-live="polite">
ARIA attributes must conform to valid values1 element
ARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.
Audit Elements
<div data-testid="test-announcerElemen..." id="announcerElement" style="position: absolute !..." aria-live="polite">
ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elements23 elements
Elements with aria-hidden="true" are removed from the accessibility API but remain keyboard-focusable, creating confusion about their visibility state. When users tab to these hidden elements, screen readers stay silent, leaving users unaware of what they've focused on or why nothing is being announced.
Audit Elements
<svg class="header__search-icon-svg" role="img" viewBox="0 0 64 64" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true">
<span class="userAccountExpireDot" aria-hidden="true"></span>
<span class="user-account-nav__menu-notification-warning" aria-hidden="true"></span>
<span class="userAccountExpireDot" aria-hidden="true"></span>
<span class="user-account-nav__menu-notification-warning" aria-hidden="true"></span>
Showing first 5 of 23 audited elements.
ARIA role should be appropriate for the element52 elements
Invalid ARIA role and HTML element combinations can break accessibility for entire sections of your application. When roles are used incorrectly, assistive technologies may report confusing or nonsensical information to users, making it impossible for them to understand and interact with the interface properly.
Audit Elements
<svg class="header__close-icon-svg" role="img" width="64" height="64" viewBox="0 0 64 64" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-labelledby="closeIconTitle" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">
<svg class="header__search-icon-svg" role="img" viewBox="0 0 64 64" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true">
<button id="headerSubscribeButton" class="header__subscribe-button subscribe-button" data-source="sub_web_nav" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" role="link" aria-label="Subscribe Button">Subscribe</button>
<svg class="icon-ui-avatar-default" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-label="User Avatar" role="img">
<button class="user-account-nav__ic..." aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" role="link" data-login-href="/account/log-in" aria-label="User Account Log In ..." data-zjs="click" data-zjs-component_i...="/account/log-in" data-zjs-component_t...="User Account Log In ..." ...>
Showing first 5 of 52 audited elements.
aria-hidden="true" must not be present on the document body1 element
Setting <body aria-hidden="true" hides all page content from assistive technologies while leaving it visible on screen. This creates a confusing experience where keyboard users can still tab to elements, but screen readers remain completely silent, providing no information about what's focused.
Audit Elements
<body class="layout layout-homepage cnn" data-page-type="section" style="max-height: 800px; max-width: 1280px; height: 800px; width: 1280px; overflow: hidden; position: fixed;">
Content must reflow without two-dimensional scrolling2 elements
People who zoom to 400% or use a narrow viewport must be able to scroll in one direction only. A layout that still requires horizontal scrolling at 320 CSS pixels forces magnified readers to pan left and right line by line, which makes the page close to unusable.
Audit Elements
<header class="header__wrapper-outer" style="height: 1114px; top: -1074px; margin-bottom: -1024..." inert="">
<div class="layout__content-wrapper layout-homepage__content-w..." inert="">
Document should have one main landmark1 element
Every page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.
Audit Elements
<html lang="en" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_pages/clg34ol9u000047nodabud1o2@published" data-layout-uri="cms.cnn.com/_layouts/layout-homepage/instances/homepage-domestic@published" data-site="cnn" class="userconsent-cntry-us userconsent-state-ca userconsent-reg-us">
Documents must have <title> element to aid in navigation1 element
The page title is the first thing screen reader users hear when loading a page. Without a descriptive, unique title, users must read through the entire page to understand its contents and purpose, wasting valuable time on every page visit.
Audit Elements
<html lang="en" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_pages/clg34ol9u000047nodabud1o2@published" data-layout-uri="cms.cnn.com/_layouts/layout-homepage/instances/homepage-domestic@published" data-site="cnn" class="userconsent-cntry-us userconsent-state-ca userconsent-reg-us">
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds6 elements
People with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.
Audit Elements
<h2 lang="en" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 12); direction: ltr; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 30px; padding: 2px 0px; text-align: center;">Legal Terms and Privacy</h2>
<a href="/terms" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 1...">
<a href="/privacy" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 1...">
<a href="/usstatesupplement" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 1...">
<a lang="en" role="button" href="#" style="align-items: center;...">
Showing first 5 of 6 audited elements.
Elements must only use permitted ARIA attributes1 element
Using prohibited ARIA attributes prevents important information from reaching assistive technology users. It also causes assistive technologies to behave inconsistently as they attempt to compensate for the error.
Audit Elements
<div data-testid="test-announcerElemen..." id="announcerElement" style="position: absolute !..." aria-live="polite">
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes1 element
Using ARIA attributes in roles where they're not allowed can disable accessibility for entire sections of your application. Invalid attribute-role combinations create conflicts that cause assistive technologies to report incorrect or nonsensical information about your interface.
Audit Elements
<div data-testid="test-announcerElemen..." id="announcerElement" style="position: absolute !..." aria-live="polite">
Focused elements must not be entirely hidden by author-created content4 elements
Keyboard users have no pointer to show where they are. The focus indicator is their only cue, and a sticky header, footer, cookie banner, or other author-created overlay that completely hides the focused control strands them with no idea what will activate next.
Audit Elements
<a href="/terms" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 16px; font-styl...">
<a href="/privacy" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 16px; font-styl...">
<a href="/usstatesupplement" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 16px; font-styl...">
<a lang="en" role="button" href="#" style="align-items: center; background-color: rgb(12, 12,...">
IDs used in ARIA and labels must be unique13 elements
Duplicate IDs break the accessibility of ARIA elements, form labels, and table headers. When IDs are duplicated, assistive technologies and scripts only reference the first instance, causing subsequent elements with the same ID to be ignored or incorrectly associated.
Audit Elements
<input class="ad-feedback__emoji-radio-input" id="ad-feedback__0-bad" name="ad" type="radio" value="1" aria-label="Bad">
<input class="ad-feedback__emoji-radio-input" id="ad-feedback__0-not-good" name="ad" type="radio" value="2" aria-label="Not Good">
<input class="ad-feedback__emoji-radio-input" id="ad-feedback__0-okay" name="ad" type="radio" value="3" aria-label="Okay">
<input class="ad-feedback__emoji-radio-input" id="ad-feedback__0-good" name="ad" type="radio" value="4" aria-label="Good">
<input class="ad-feedback__emoji-radio-input" id="ad-feedback__0-great" name="ad" type="radio" value="5" aria-label="Great">
Showing first 5 of 13 audited elements.
Inline text spacing must be adjustable with custom stylesheets1 element
Single-spaced text makes it difficult for people with cognitive disabilities to track lines while reading. Providing line spacing between 1.5 to 2 helps these users start a new line more easily after finishing the previous one.
Audit Elements
<body class="layout layout-homepage cnn" data-page-type="section" style="max-height: 800px; max-width: 1280px; height: 800px; width: 1280px; overflow: hidden; position: fixed;">
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicator4 elements
Sighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.
Audit Elements
<a href="/terms" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 16px; font-styl...">
<a href="/privacy" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 16px; font-styl...">
<a href="/usstatesupplement" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 12); font-size: 16px; font-styl...">
<a lang="en" role="button" href="#" style="align-items: center; background-color: rgb(12, 12,...">
Links must be distinguishable without relying on color3 elements
People with low vision or color blindness cannot visually distinguish links from surrounding text without sufficient color contrast (3:1 ratio minimum). When link colors are too similar to regular text, users with visual impairments cannot identify which text is clickable.
Audit Elements
<a href="/terms" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 1...">
<a href="/privacy" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 1...">
<a href="/usstatesupplement" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(12, 12, 1...">
Page should contain a level-one heading1 element
Screen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.
Audit Elements
<html lang="en" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_pages/clg34ol9u000047nodabud1o2@published" data-layout-uri="cms.cnn.com/_layouts/layout-homepage/instances/homepage-domestic@published" data-site="cnn" class="userconsent-cntry-us userconsent-state-ca userconsent-reg-us">
Users should be able to zoom and scale the text up to 500%1 element
The user-scalable="no" and restrictive maximum-scale parameters prevent people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who rely on browser zoom to enlarge text are blocked from accessing content at a readable size, violating their need to scale pages up to 5x zoom.
Audit Elements
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1,shrink-to-fit=no">
Zooming and scaling must not be disabled1 element
Setting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.
Audit Elements
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1,shrink-to-fit=no">
How does your site stack up against CNN?
Run the same automated WCAG 2.2 checks we run on the scoreboard.
More in News & Media