Bonus: Accessing the News with Vox Editor Sean Collins
From the pandemic to civil rights protests, it’s no question the story of the past year has been told through breaking news headlines. Many of the stories shaping our world are powerfully told through image, with the help of photojournalists and everyday people with smartphones. But how do we make these very visual stories accessible to visually impaired news consumers? This is the topic of this special bonus episode of Down to the Struts.
In this episode, Qudsiya sits down with Vox Editor Sean Collins. They talk about how images enhance the information in a news article, and break down the actual technology of how photo description, or "alt text,” works.
As an example, Sean takes us through some images from the Black Lives Matter demonstrations of the summer, and discusses how he wrote the alt text to accompany them. Sean also shares some advice for journalists and others on writing quality alt text. Read the article they discuss here.
Click here to read Sean’s coverage of recent events in politics and policy, including the Capitol insurrection, the second impeachment of President Trump, the Georgia Senate election, and more.
