Fox News Network
Fox News's website got sued for being inaccessible. Media isn't exempt.
In 2018, a blind plaintiff filed a class action against Fox News for an inaccessible news website — broken keyboard navigation, dead links, no image descriptions. The case settled in 2019. Other plaintiffs filed similar cases against CNN, The New York Times, and other major news outlets around the same time.
Content publishers and media companies often think "we're just words on a page," but inaccessibility breaks news in the same ways it breaks shopping. The case made clear that any business with an audience — not just retailers — faces the same exposure.
Court
Southern District of New York
Case
Burbon v. Fox News Network, LLC
1:18-cv-01662
Outcome
Settled (terms confidential); Fox News agreed to address accessibility concerns
What went wrong on the site
Each visual below shows what visitors with disabilities actually experienced.
Screen reader announces:
"Image. Image. Image."
Product images and key visuals had no alt text — screen readers announced 'image' or the file name instead of describing what users were looking at.
WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content
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Screen reader users hear: "Link: click here. Link: click here."
Broken or non-functional links left screen-reader users navigating into dead-ends with no feedback.
WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose
Click only — Tab key does nothing
Core interactions required a mouse. Keyboard-only users could not navigate menus, complete checkout, or operate widgets.
WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard
Sources & documentation
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