democracynow.org
readable
B Good. A minor flaw or two
Loading speed is diagnostic only; it does not affect this grade or search ranking.
| Subject | Weight | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Interruption | 35.71% | 100 |
| Readability | 28.57% | 100 |
| Accessibility and keyboard | 21.43% | 52 |
| Stability and weight | 14.29% | 65 |
This letter rests on 100% of the grade. Every subject was measured, including article readability and accessibility. How this is worked out.
- Largest paint
- 1.8s
- Paywall
- none
- Ad requests
- 1
- Tracker requests
- 7
- Page weight
- 299 KB
- Readability
- 17px type · 1.6 line height · 74 characters per line · 16.6:1 contrast
- Accessibility
- 3 automated checks failed (3 serious)
- Green hosting
- not measured
- Measured
- 2026-08-31
Observed interruptions
Ad and tracker counts above are network requests, not counts of visible ads or separate companies. They do not affect the interruption score.
Assessed 3 sampled pages. The largest detected ad area was 0% of a sampled viewport. No qualifying obstructive prompts were detected.
This is a sample, not a promise that the whole site has no interruptions. Ad detection can miss formats and content outside the sampled view. Older scans did not check visibility or overlapping ad rectangles as thoroughly. The score uses the strongest observed deduction, so one panel is not penalized under multiple names. How interruptions are scored.
The type, and who can use it
Measured on 1 rendered page; latest measurement 2026-09-05. Every number is a mechanical fact about the page, not a judgment of its design.
| What | Measured | The bar |
|---|---|---|
| Body type size | 17px | 16px, the browser default |
| Characters per line | 74 | 45–90 |
| Line height | 1.59 | 1.5 (WCAG 1.4.8) |
| Text contrast | 16.6:1 | 4.5:1 (WCAG AA), 7:1 (AAA) |
| Text column | 48% of the window | at least 45% |
| Reflows at phone width | yes | WCAG 1.4.10 |
| Dark mode | no | noted, not scored |
| Automated accessibility checks | 3 automated checks failed (3 serious): color-contrast, image-alt, link-name | WCAG 2.1 A and AA, via axe-core |
| Keyboard | no trap; focus visible on 93% of stops | never trapped, always visible |
| Structure | no main landmark, 2 h1, 4 skipped heading levels | a main landmark, one h1, no skips |
| Alt text | 0% of 2 content images described | every content image |
| Reader mode | parses | parses (Firefox’s Readability) |
Automated accessibility checks catch an estimated 30–40% of real problems, so “no automated violations detected” is a floor, not a certificate. We never say “accessible”. How these are scored.
Measurement dates
Oldest evidence 50 days old. At least one subject is due for rechecking (30 days or older). Dates refer to the evidence, never the card rebuild.
- Access and interruptions:
- Readability and accessibility:
Measurement history
Newest 4 saved observations. Each describes a sampled page at that time; older, failed or held observations do not override the current reviewed card. Raw automated findings may have been superseded by later review or detector replay. No previous grade is inferred.
Read dated observations
- — Readability and accessibility observation; prose source p; desktop type 17px; phone overflow not observed
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/8/31/nepal_floods_aftermath
Evidence source: readability-top5000.jsonl · observation f6c50260f797 - — Access observation: penalised; raw automated findings newsletter modal
https://www.democracynow.org/events/2026/9/amy_goodman_at_the_barrymore_for_steal_this_story_please_screening_1671
Evidence source: verdicts-top5000.jsonl · observation d18ff2b69ee6 - — Access observation: penalised; raw automated findings newsletter modal
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/8/31/nepal_floods_aftermath
Evidence source: verdicts-top5000.jsonl · observation 82df8593f33f - — Access observation: penalised; raw automated findings newsletter modal
https://www.democracynow.org/shows/2026/8/31
Evidence source: verdicts-top5000.jsonl · observation 5bb15638170b
How we know
| Pages rendered | 3 |
|---|---|
| Site verdict | errors dropped; majority of remaining; ties to the stricter verdict; active reviewed exclusions override admission |
| Figures shown | numeric measurements generally use medians; interruption costs, overflow, keyboard traps and accessibility failures retain the strongest observed finding |
| Cited by | 2,751 encyclopedia articles |
Think this is wrong? It may well be — the measurements cover only a handful of pages. Any reviewed admission decision and its dated evidence are shown above. Re-measurement on request is not built yet, so there is no button here that would do anything. When it exists it will be free and it will be on this page.