Media Reporting Scorecard
An analysis of Cyprus media reporting on road collisions against the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines. This assesses the article LANGUAGE, not the outlets or journalists themselves, encouraging constructive improvement.
⚠️ Disclaimer & Legal Notice
The gradings, reviews, and suggestions published on this page represent opinion and commentary on public media reporting against published road safety reporting standards. This analysis is conducted in the public interest to promote safer road reporting practices. It does not constitute a legal accusation, character assessment, or formal audit of any news organization or individual journalist. This feature is currently pending final legal review before launch.
📘 Reporting Guidelines Reference Guide
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Avoid using "accident" (ατύχημα) as it implies the event was unavoidable or an act of fate. Use "collision", "crash", or "impact" to recognize that traffic incidents are preventable systemic failures.
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Focus on human agency rather than vehicles. Write "driver collided" instead of "car collided" or "vehicle struck pedestrian" to maintain accountability for operation.
R3: No victim-blaming (avoid premature/biased blame)
Do not prematurely assign blame to vulnerable road users (e.g. "pedestrian was not wearing high-vis" or "crossed outside zebra crossing") before formal crash investigation findings are published.
R4: Dehumanising labels (refer to the person, not their vehicle)
Do not refer to a person by the name of their vehicle (e.g. "the scooters" instead of the rider). Use "the scooter operator" or "scooter rider" to preserve the human dimension of the incident.
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Acknowledge that crashes are not isolated, freak incidents. Mention broader traffic safety statistics, local infrastructure factors, or repeating safety patterns.
R6: Sensationalism (avoid dramatic/fate-based framing)
Avoid graphic details, dramatic descriptions, or fate-based framing (e.g., "tragedy", "horror crash", "bloody collision") to ensure professional, informative reporting.
Overall reporting standards
Across every reviewed article from all monitored outlets. A higher compliance score means language that more often follows Safe System reporting guidance.
Compliance score
8%
Articles reviewed
373
Outlets monitored
19
GREEN (Good): 27AMBER (Minor issues): 5RED (Needs improvement): 341
Most common issues
R1
424 occurrences
R5
300 occurrences
R6
206 occurrences
R2
166 occurrences
R3
54 occurrences
R4
20 occurrences
By outlet
Select an outlet to see its own breakdown.
in-cyprus83%23›
GREEN (Good): 19AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 4
R2 × 2R1 × 1R6 × 1R3 × 1
Show breakdown →Cyprus Police News60%5›
CyBC / RIK News29%7›
Dialogos6%34›
GREEN (Good): 2AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 32
R1 × 39R5 × 34R6 × 18R2 × 7R4 × 1
Show breakdown →Typos6%18›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 2RED (Needs improvement): 16
R1 × 19R5 × 6R6 × 5R2 × 4R4 × 1
Show breakdown →Cyprus Mail5%20›
GREEN (Good): 1AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 19
R1 × 23R5 × 20R2 × 20R3 × 1
Show breakdown →Cyprus Times2%29›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 1RED (Needs improvement): 28
R1 × 26R5 × 25R6 × 17R2 × 12R3 × 6R4 × 5
Show breakdown →Cyprus Times2%29›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 1RED (Needs improvement): 28
R1 × 26R5 × 25R6 × 17R2 × 12R3 × 6R4 × 5
Show breakdown →Politis2%24›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 1RED (Needs improvement): 23
R1 × 33R5 × 23R2 × 16R6 × 6R3 × 2
Show breakdown →Alphanews0%4›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 4
R1 × 6R2 × 5R5 × 4R6 × 3
Show breakdown →ANT1 Live0%14›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 14
R1 × 20R6 × 16R5 × 14R2 × 5R3 × 3
Show breakdown →Kathimerini0%1›
OmegaLive0%38›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 38
R1 × 54R5 × 38R6 × 32R2 × 16R3 × 10R4 × 1
Show breakdown →OmegaLive0%38›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 38
R1 × 54R5 × 38R6 × 32R2 × 16R3 × 10R4 × 1
Show breakdown →OmegaLive0%38›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 38
R1 × 54R5 × 38R6 × 32R2 × 16R3 × 10R4 × 1
Show breakdown →Philenews0%7›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 7
R1 × 11R2 × 9R5 × 7R3 × 3R6 × 2
Show breakdown →Reporter0%1›
Sigmalive0%30›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 30
R1 × 35R2 × 16R6 × 12R5 × 8R3 × 2R4 × 1
Show breakdown →ToThemaOnline0%13›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 13
R1 × 16R6 × 13R5 × 13R2 × 7R4 × 3
Show breakdown →Showing 221–240 of 268 articles
Published on 02 Aug 2026
Sigmalive
Title: REDContent: not assessedOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“Τροχαίο στη Λεμεσό”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'Σύγκρουση στη Λεμεσό' αντί για 'Τροχαίο', καθώς το 'τροχαίο' ως αυτόνομος όρος υπονοεί 'ατύχημα'.
Published on 02 Aug 2026
Cyprus Times
Title: REDContent: not assessedOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“τροχαίο”
Suggested Rewording:Χρήση του όρου 'σύγκρουση' αντί για 'τροχαίο', π.χ. 'που τραυματίστηκε σε σύγκρουση'.
Published on 02 Aug 2026
Sigmalive
Title: REDContent: not assessedOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“το τροχαίο”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'η σύγκρουση' αντί για 'το τροχαίο', καθώς η λέξη 'τροχαίο' χρησιμοποιούμενη μόνη της υπονοεί 'ατύχημα'.
Published on 02 Aug 2026
ToThemaOnline
Title: REDContent: GREENOverall: RED
R6: Sensationalism (avoid dramatic/fate-based framing)
Flagged Quote:“Μάχη για τη ζωή δίνει 17χρονος”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε ουδέτερη διατύπωση, π.χ. 'Σοβαρά τραυματίας 17χρονος' ή 'Νοσηλεύεται σε κρίσιμη κατάσταση 17χρονος'.
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“σοβαρό τροχαίο”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'σοβαρή σύγκρουση' αντί για 'τροχαίο'.
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Flagged Quote:“Μοτοσικλέτα συγκρούστηκε με αυτοκίνητο”
Suggested Rewording:Αποδώστε τη δράση στους οδηγούς, π.χ. 'Ο οδηγός μοτοσικλέτας συγκρούστηκε με αυτοκίνητο'.
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.
Published on 02 Aug 2026
Politis
Title: REDContent: REDOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“Σοβαρό τροχαίο στη Λεμεσό”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'σύγκρουση' αντί για 'τροχαίο', π.χ. 'Σοβαρή σύγκρουση στη Λεμεσό'.
R6: Sensationalism (avoid dramatic/fate-based framing)
Flagged Quote:“Μάχη για τη ζωή δίνει 17χρονος μοτοσικλετιστής”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε ουδέτερη διατύπωση, π.χ. 'Νοσηλεύεται σε κρίσιμη κατάσταση 17χρονος μοτοσικλετιστής'.
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Flagged Quote:“μετά τη σύγκρουση της μοτοσικλέτας του με αυτοκίνητο”
Suggested Rewording:Αποδώστε τη δράση στους οδηγούς, π.χ. 'μετά τη σύγκρουση με αυτοκίνητο που οδηγούσε...' αναφέροντας τον οδηγό του αυτοκινήτου.
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.
Published on 02 Aug 2026
Sigmalive
Title: REDContent: not assessedOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“τροχαίο με μοτοσικλέτα”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'σύγκρουση με μοτοσικλέτα' αντί για 'τροχαίο'.
R6: Sensationalism (avoid dramatic/fate-based framing)
Flagged Quote:“Μάχη για τη ζωή δίνει”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε ουδέτερη διατύπωση όπως 'νοσηλεύεται σε κρίσιμη κατάσταση' αντί για 'μάχη για τη ζωή'.
Published on 02 Aug 2026
Cyprus Mail
Title: REDContent: REDOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“traffic accident”
Suggested Rewording:Use 'traffic collision' or 'crash' instead of 'accident'.
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“traffic accidents”
Suggested Rewording:Use 'traffic collision' or 'crash' instead of 'accident'.
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.
Published on 02 Aug 2026
in-cyprus
Title: GREENContent: not assessedOverall: GREEN
Published on 02 Aug 2026
Typos
Title: REDContent: not assessedOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“τροχαίο στη Λεμεσό”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'σύγκρουση στη Λεμεσό' αντί για 'τροχαίο', καθώς η λέξη 'τροχαίο' από μόνη της υπονοεί 'ατύχημα'.
Published on 02 Aug 2026
Cyprus Times
Title: REDContent: REDOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“τροχαίο”
Suggested Rewording:Χρήση της λέξης «σύγκρουση» αντί για «τροχαίο», π.χ. «Με βαριά κρανιοεγκεφαλική κάκωση 17χρονος μετά από σύγκρουση»
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Flagged Quote:“Η μοτοσικλέτα του 17χρονου συγκρούστηκε με όχημα που οδηγούσε 37χρονος”
Suggested Rewording:Αναδιατύπωση για να αποδοθεί η ενέργεια στον οδηγό, π.χ. «Ο 17χρονος οδηγός της μοτοσικλέτας συγκρούστηκε με όχημα που οδηγούσε 37χρονος»
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.
Published on 02 Aug 2026
OmegaLive
Title: REDContent: GREENOverall: RED
R6: Sensationalism (avoid dramatic/fate-based framing)
Flagged Quote:“Μάχη για τη ζωή του δίνει 17χρονος”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε ουδέτερη διατύπωση, π.χ. «17χρονος νοσηλεύεται σε κρίσιμη κατάσταση».
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“τροχαίο με μοτοσικλέτα”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε «σύγκρουση με μοτοσικλέτα» αντί για «τροχαίο».
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.
Published on 29 Jul 2026
CyBC / RIK News
Title: GREENContent: not assessedOverall: GREEN
Published on 29 Jul 2026
Politis
Title: GREENContent: AMBEROverall: AMBER
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“Τα αίτια του δυστυχήματος διερευνά η Τροχαία Λευκωσίας”
Suggested Rewording:Αντικαταστήστε το «δυστυχήματος» με «της σύγκρουσης» για ουδέτερη διατύπωση.
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.
Published on 29 Jul 2026
Sigmalive
Title: REDContent: not assessedOverall: RED
R6: Sensationalism (avoid dramatic/fate-based framing)
Flagged Quote:“Τραγωδία στην άσφαλτο”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε ουδέτερη, περιγραφική διατύπωση, π.χ. 'Θανατηφόρα σύγκρουση'.
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“το τροχαίο”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'σύγκρουση' αντί για 'τροχαίο', π.χ. 'μετά τη σύγκρουση'.
Published on 29 Jul 2026
Cyprus Mail
Title: REDContent: REDOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“traffic accident”
Suggested Rewording:Use 'traffic collision' or 'crash' instead of 'accident'.
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“traffic accident”
Suggested Rewording:Use 'traffic collision' or 'crash' instead of 'accident'.
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Flagged Quote:“the vehicle involved in the collision”
Suggested Rewording:Attribute the action to the driver, e.g. 'the vehicle driven by the suspect'.
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.
Published on 29 Jul 2026
Politis
Title: REDContent: GREENOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“τροχαίο με σοβαρό τραυματισμό”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'σύγκρουση' αντί για 'τροχαίο', π.χ. 'Συνελήφθη 20χρονος για σύγκρουση με σοβαρό τραυματισμό 24χρονου στη Λεμεσό'
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.
Published on 29 Jul 2026
Dialogos
Title: REDContent: REDOverall: RED
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Flagged Quote:“ο 20χρονος που παρέσυρε και εγκατέλειψε τον 24χρονο”
Suggested Rewording:Αν και εδώ αναφέρεται ο οδηγός (θετικό), η λέξη 'παρέσυρε' αποδίδει την ενέργεια με τρόπο που θα ήταν προτιμότερο να διατυπωθεί ως 'ο οδηγός που παρέσυρε με το όχημά του και εγκατέλειψε' για μεγαλύτερη σαφήνεια στην ανθρώπινη ευθύνη.
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Flagged Quote:“ο οδηγός του αυτοκινήτου που συγκρούστηκε με ηλεκτρικό σκούτερ”
Suggested Rewording:Να διατυπωθεί ως 'ο οδηγός του αυτοκινήτου που συγκρούστηκε με τον χειριστή ηλεκτρικού σκούτερ' ώστε να αναδεικνύεται ο άνθρωπος-θύμα, όχι μόνο το όχημα.
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.
Published on 29 Jul 2026
Sigmalive
Title: REDContent: not assessedOverall: RED
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Flagged Quote:“ο 20χρονος που παρέσυρε οδηγό πατινιού”
Suggested Rewording:While this does attribute action to a person (the driver) rather than the vehicle, ensure the phrasing clearly identifies him as the driver, e.g., 'ο 20χρονος οδηγός που παρέσυρε με το όχημά του τον χειριστή πατινιού', to avoid ambiguity about agency.
R4: Dehumanising labels (refer to the person, not their vehicle)
Flagged Quote:“οδηγό πατινιού”
Suggested Rewording:Use 'χειριστή σκούτερ/πατινιού' instead of framing the person primarily by the device, to avoid dehumanising/generalising labeling.
Published on 29 Jul 2026
Cyprus Mail
Title: REDContent: REDOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“traffic accident”
Suggested Rewording:Use 'traffic collision' or 'crash' instead of 'accident'.
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“following a traffic accident”
Suggested Rewording:Use 'following a traffic collision' instead of 'accident'.
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Flagged Quote:“his bicycle collided with a car”
Suggested Rewording:Attribute the action to the driver/cyclist, e.g. 'Kalligas collided with a car' or 'a car collided with Kalligas' bicycle, driven by...' to preserve human agency rather than framing the bicycle as the actor.
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.
Published on 29 Jul 2026
Dialogos
Title: REDContent: GREENOverall: RED
R6: Sensationalism (avoid dramatic/fate-based framing)
Flagged Quote:“Τραγωδία στον Στρόβολο”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε ουδέτερη διατύπωση, π.χ. 'Θανατηφόρα σύγκρουση στον Στρόβολο'.
R5: Context not isolated (mention wider stats/patterns) [Bonus / Good to have]
Suggested Rewording:Consider adding wider road safety context, such as statistics, historical crashes at this location, or infrastructure factors, to help readers understand it as a preventable system failure rather than an isolated event.