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Captioning Sucks

Captioning Sucks. Now let's fix it

As part of the Open & Closed Project, Joe Clark has released a new site, Captioning Sucks, to highlight the shoddy state of captions in broadcasting. Here’s why captioning sucks:

  • There’s not enough of it.
  • Your complaints are ignored (if you can even manage to file a complaint).
  • Captions are hard to read, mostly because of lousy fonts.
  • Deaf people settle for less than 100% captioning.
  • Broadcasters use the wrong kind of captioning (like scrollup or real-time captioning).
  • So-called regulators let broadcasters get away with murder – because regulators and broadcasters play a game of musical chairs and swap positions over time.
  • And finally… there are no standards.

Head over to Captioning Sucks to find out more about this problem which affects millions of people. While you’re there you can enjoy the Comic Sans goodness – anyone who knows Joe’s interest in typography will realise there must a very good reason for that (it’s not an April Fool).

1 April 2008

§ Accessibility

3 comments

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Comments

  1. 1

    “While you’re there you can enjoy the Comic Sans goodness – anyone who knows Joe’s interest in typography will reali[z]e there must a very good reason for that”: Well, yes, there was. And it’s only on the homepage, you’ll note.

    Joe Clark
    Joe Clark’s Gravatar
    1 Apr 2008
    13:12 GMT
  2. 2

    Well, yes, there was [a good reason for Comic Sans]

    Indeed there was (I did read the about the design page). I thought others might be intrigued and have a look themselves.

    Rich
    Rich’s Gravatar
    1 Apr 2008
    13:22 GMT
  3. 3

    I am agree with that they are hard to read mostly because of lousy fonts and some ties regulators and broadcasters play a game of musical chairs and swap positions over time.

    Max
    Max’s Gravatar
    19 Apr 2008
    10:19 GMT

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