Their articles are very easy to scan, not least because of their use of bullet points to sum up each release. Whether we like it or not, MailOnline remains one of the most popular news websites in the world. They know that mixing it up has the best impact. Using short sentences all the time would make their writers sound robotic, but they aren’t overly long with their sentence lengths either. In their content, they strike the right balance with their sentence lengths. They also know that images make their stories look more visually friendly for the reader. With an overall Flesch-Kincaid level of just 8.7, they are certainly aware of the importance of readability.įor visual readability, they use short paragraphs to break up the text, making it easily digestible. They write news that’s concise, scannable and engaging. They’re using the same snappy readability skills now. Remember back in around 2012 when Buzzfeed was just listicles like 25 Most Awkward Cat Sleeping Positions? Now it’s a news institution. They know that if the content isn’t readable, the viewer can just click away. The great advantage of news outlets that don’t have their roots in print is that they know the reality of writing for the web inside-out. Let’s have a look at some of the most readable of the selection, having a Flesch-Kincaid grade level below 9. They could reach a much wider audience with their stories even with a small increase in readability. Their insightful content is lost on the average person. In fact, their reading grade - 14.5 - indicates the reader would have to be in college to understand their articles. They represent an affluent audience and their writing style is several reading grades above the general public reading level. But, it supports their demographic information. This doesn’t mean the writing is qualitatively bad. The news outlet which stands out as being the least readable - having the highest Flesch-Kincaid grade level - is the New York Times. The higher the grade, the more difficult the website is to read. Here’s an overall guide to where several news outlets fall on the Flesch-Kincaid scale.
Scannability of newspaper copy is more important than ever. This is because readers look more and more to the web for their news content and view it on desktop, tablet and mobile. When writing for the general public, we recommend aiming for a Flesch Kincaid grade level of 8-10. Newspapers should evolve with changes in reader habits and write in a way their readers can understand. Alan Gould, Executive Editor of Associated Press, 1949 Which online news outlets have the best readability? “A Flesch axiom-"Write as you talk"- is now widely accepted by newspapermen newspaper readers or radio listeners have a better chance of grasping the news, or what it means, if it is told to them simply and clearly.” But, considering the impact of social media on our attention spans, many are now aiming for a lower grade. The readability grade the newspapers aimed for remained at 11 following this. They improved newspaper readability by an impressive five grades.īefore the 1940s, the majority of large-circulation newspapers could only be understood by college graduates.Īfter these studies, newspapers could be understood by a reader with a reading level equivalent to Junior High. One study showed that the total number of paragraphs read increased by 93% when readability was improved. Two readability experts, Flesch and Gunning, worked extensively with newspapers to help them improve their readability.Įven by improving readability by a small amount, newspapers greatly increased their circulation. Newspaper journalism became more focused on the reader and less on the writer.
Thanks to the work of readability experts, tough prose became digestible, scannable content for the average person. In the past, newspapers were much less readable than they are today. What readability grade do newspapers aim for?
To deliver this authoritative message clearly and concisely, an online newspaper must reflect the reading grade of the general public. It’s also an authority in itself - in a world saturated with fake news, journalism acts as an authoritative voice to cut through the noise. It has a role in changing policies, it’s a record-keeper of history and holds key authorities accountable. Papers streamlined their message in order to communicate efficiently and effectively.Īs readership shifts from print to online, it’s more important than ever that newspapers adapt to online reading habits.Īfter all, access to journalism is not to be taken lightly - journalism is considered a protector of democracy in society.