The Word

@the-word.news

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A nonprofit magazine about journalism, news style, and accessibility in the media. Published by @equalaccesspublicmedia.org.

The Word from Equal Access Public Media Dear readers, It pains me to announce that due to the financial situation of our publishing organization, Equal Access Public Media, we will be suspending publication. We do not have the ability to pay our writers for work going forward. Until such time as we can raise funding to continue publishing, June’s issue will be our last published issue. This was not a decision nor is this an announcement I wanted to make. Our writers work very hard. This publication is unique in covering topics of accessibility in journalism. But we are where we are because we have not been able to secure consistent funding in a time when accessibility, like diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice are considered bad, issues to be avoided, and something to be defunded. This is not the end, just a brief pause. We will see you in the future. In the meantime, we hope you consider funding Equal Access Public Media. With great sadness, Stacy Kess
The quest struggles A two-part series discussing stress and burnout for reporters, reasons behind it, and how to manage it. • Part 1: Why you may feel that burnout — Today • Part 2: How to manage the hidden stress — June 4
Text over a dark background with a journalist working alone at a desk reads: The quiet struggles. A two-part series discussing stress and burnout for reporters, reasons behind it, and how to manage it. Part 1: Why you may feel that burnout — May 7. Part 2: How to manage the hidden stress — June 4.
(from the 2026 WebAIM Million report) Conclusion The 2026 WebAIM Million analysis found notable increases in both the number of detected accessibility errors and number of pages with WCAG conformance failures, reversing a trend of gradual accessibility improvements in recent years. A primary concern is the significant increase in home page complexity and ARIA code—both of which correlate to increased detectable errors. These trends likely reflect broader shifts in web development including increased reliance on 3rd party frameworks and libraries and automated or AI-assisted coding practices (“vibe coding”). Home pages are getting larger and more technologically complex at an alarming rate, making accessibility more difficult to achieve and maintain. A key takeaway from this year's report is improving accessibility at scale will require both better practices and simpler systems. Alternatively, complex systems need to do a better job of focusing on accessibility fundamentals.
A feedback box from The Word articles called Your Turn. It asks: Does this article leave you with lingering questions? Did this story change your way of thinking? We want to know. Have your word on The Word. It has a box for First Name, Last Name, and Email. It has two phrases with choices to respond: I found this story informative and interesting. Yes Somewhat. Not much. Not at all. I still have questions after this story. Yes. Maybe. No. It has one fill-in-the-box: This article made me wonder... followed by a text box.