Networks, RNC overlook the deaf in online convention coverage

Online streaming was supposed to make the 2012 conventions more accessible to the public than ever before. But for the 48 million Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing, the latest technology isn’t quite as good as ordinary TV. No major media outlets provided live online closed captioning of the Republican National Convention this week in Tampa. At the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, the only Internet feed that will carry real-time captioning will be the Democratic Party’s own online hub. Unlike on television, where outlets are required by law to encode subtitles, Internet content providers don’t have to do the same — even if it’s the same material shown with captions on TV.