The story has no subheadings.
Why it matters to readers. On a phone, a long story without subheadings is a wall of text readers skip.
Desk · 10 min
→ For a long story, add two or three Heading 2 subheadings; a short story needs none.
Galley · story grade
Your story, graded
Fix this firstThe story has no subheadings. Desk · 10 min
Quality against reach
Quality is what the page shows of the reporting: byline, named sources, depth. Reach is how well it is set up to travel: timing, demand for the topic, the site's standing. Read it as a guide to where effort pays, not a traffic forecast.
Potential
51
Quality
73
Reach
39
34 pt · held back
Quality 73, reach 39: good journalism that is not set up to travel · low potential
Where it can be found
Discover
62
- Held back by: How recent it is (nothing to fix)
Google News
72
- Held back by: News sitemap (nothing to fix), How recent it is (nothing to fix)
Google Search
72
- Held back by: Links to your other stories, Links to sources
For your desk
Changes an editor or reporter makes in the CMS.
Some photos have no description for blind readers.
Why it matters to readers. Screen-reader users hear nothing where the photo is.
Desk · 2 min each
→ Fill in each photo's alt text: one sentence on what it shows.
The story barely links to your other stories.
Why it matters to readers. Readers who finish it have nowhere to go next on your site.
Desk · 5 min
→ Link three to five related stories, on words that say what each is about.
The story links to no outside source.
Why it matters to readers. Readers can't check the report or data it relies on.
Desk · 5 min
→ Link the primary sources: the report, order, dataset or statement.
No named expert or official is quoted.
Why it matters to readers. Readers want to see who stands behind the facts.
Desk · depends
→ If the story makes claims, quote a named person with their role.
For your web team
Site changes. Most are made once and fix every story.
Trackers load with no sign of a consent banner.
Why it matters to readers. Readers are not asked before being tracked, which can breach their data-protection rights.
Web team · 1 day
For your web team
- Technical term
consent-management platform (CMP)- What to change
- Add a consent platform that holds trackers until the reader agrees.
- Example
Load the analytics tag only after the consent platform reports agreement.
- How to check it's fixed
- Open the site in a private window: a consent banner should appear before anything else.
13 of 18 checks passed.
Send to your web team
Every web-team item, as one checklist to copy, email or print.
For the web team — https://behanbox.com/2026/08/18/voice-as-an-unruly-force/
[ ] 1. consent-management platform (CMP) (once for the whole site; 1 day)
Problem: Trackers load with no sign of a consent banner.
Change: Add a consent platform that holds trackers until the reader agrees.
Example: Load the analytics tag only after the consent platform reports agreement.
How to check it's fixed: Open the site in a private window: a consent banner should appear before anything else.
Graded by Galley · onlinejourno.com
That was one story.
After publication, Frontmatter goes through everything you publish with the same checks and finds the stories whose quality outran their reach.