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/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
Avoid sweeping labels that generalize road user groups. Use terms like "person walking" or "person riding a cycle" instead of labels like "cyclists" or "pedestrians" to maintain empathy.
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
17%
Articles reviewed
161
Outlets monitored
19
GREEN (Good): 8AMBER (Minor issues): 38RED (Needs improvement): 115
Most common issues
R1
174 occurrences
R5
127 occurrences
R6
80 occurrences
R2
80 occurrences
R3
29 occurrences
R4
16 occurrences
By outlet
Select an outlet to see its own breakdown.
Cyprus Police News100%1›
in-cyprus100%3›
GREEN (Good): 3AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 0
Show breakdown →CyBC / RIK News70%5›
Reporter50%1›
Typos50%8›
Cyprus Times25%6›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 3RED (Needs improvement): 3
R5 × 5R4 × 4R1 × 3R6 × 3R2 × 2R3 × 1
Show breakdown →Cyprus Times25%6›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 3RED (Needs improvement): 3
R5 × 5R4 × 4R1 × 3R6 × 3R2 × 2R3 × 1
Show breakdown →Philenews25%2›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 1RED (Needs improvement): 1
R3 × 3R1 × 3R6 × 2R5 × 2R2 × 1
Show breakdown →Sigmalive11%19›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 4RED (Needs improvement): 15
R1 × 18R6 × 12R2 × 5R5 × 2R3 × 1R4 × 1
Show breakdown →Cyprus Mail10%10›
GREEN (Good): 1AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 9
R2 × 13R1 × 13R5 × 10
Show breakdown →Dialogos10%15›
GREEN (Good): 1AMBER (Minor issues): 1RED (Needs improvement): 13
R5 × 15R1 × 13R6 × 8R2 × 6R4 × 1
Show breakdown →Politis10%20›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 4RED (Needs improvement): 16
R1 × 26R5 × 19R2 × 15R6 × 6R3 × 2
Show breakdown →ToThemaOnline10%5›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 1RED (Needs improvement): 4
R1 × 5R5 × 5R6 × 4R2 × 2R4 × 1
Show breakdown →OmegaLive8%19›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 3RED (Needs improvement): 16
R1 × 25R5 × 19R6 × 13R2 × 10R3 × 7R4 × 1
Show breakdown →OmegaLive8%19›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 3RED (Needs improvement): 16
R1 × 25R5 × 19R6 × 13R2 × 10R3 × 7R4 × 1
Show breakdown →OmegaLive8%19›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 3RED (Needs improvement): 16
R1 × 25R5 × 19R6 × 13R2 × 10R3 × 7R4 × 1
Show breakdown →Alphanews0%1›
GREEN (Good): 0AMBER (Minor issues): 0RED (Needs improvement): 1
R1 × 2R6 × 2R2 × 1R5 × 1
Show breakdown →ANT1 Live0%1›
Kathimerini0%1›
Showing 8 of 117 articles
Published on 23 Aug 2026
ToThemaOnline
Title: REDContent: REDOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“Σοβαρό τροχαίο στη Λεμεσό”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'σοβαρή σύγκρουση στη Λεμεσό' αντί για 'τροχαίο', καθώς η λέξη 'τροχαίο' ως αυτόνομο ουσιαστικό υπονοεί 'ατύχημα'.
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Flagged Quote:“Μοτοσικλέτα καρφώθηκε κάτω από λεωφορείο”
Suggested Rewording:Αναδιατυπώστε ώστε να αποδίδεται η ενέργεια στον οδηγό, π.χ. 'Ο οδηγός της μοτοσικλέτας καρφώθηκε κάτω από λεωφορείο μετά από σύγκρουση με σκούτερ'.
R4: Dehumanising/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
Flagged Quote:“σύγκρουση με πατίνι”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'με χειριστή σκούτερ' αντί για 'με πατίνι', ώστε να αναφέρεται το άτομο και όχι μόνο το όχημα.
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“Σοβαρό τροχαίο ατύχημα σημειώθηκε”
Suggested Rewording:Αντικαταστήστε με 'Σοβαρή σύγκρουση σημειώθηκε', αποφεύγοντας τη λέξη 'ατύχημα'.
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 23 Aug 2026
Reporter
Title: GREENContent: AMBEROverall: AMBER
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“#Τροχαίο”
Suggested Rewording:Use 'Σύγκρουση' instead of 'Τροχαίο' as it carries an implicit accident connotation.
R4: Dehumanising/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
Flagged Quote:“του ηλεκτρικού πατινιού (scooter)”
Suggested Rewording:Refer to the person as 'χειριστής scooter' or 'οδηγός scooter' rather than labeling by the vehicle type in a generalising way.
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 22 Aug 2026
Cyprus Times
Title: AMBERContent: REDOverall: RED
R4: Dehumanising/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
Flagged Quote:“τραυματίστηκε με ηλεκτρικό πατίνι”
Suggested Rewording:Refer to the person as 'ο χειριστής ηλεκτρικού πατινιού' rather than framing the injury solely around the device, to keep focus on the person, e.g. 'Σοβαρά τραυματίας ανήλικος χειριστής ηλεκτρικού πατινιού'.
R3: No victim-blaming (avoid premature/biased blame)
Flagged Quote:“ο ανήλικος οδηγούσε το πατίνι σε δρόμο που δεν επιτρέπεται και δεν έφερε κράνος ασφαλείας”
Suggested Rewording:Avoid emphasizing the victim's rule violations and lack of helmet in a way that shifts blame; instead state facts neutrally and separately from the injury context, e.g. 'Η αστυνομία διερευνά τις συνθήκες του συμβάντος, including road regulations and safety equipment used.'
R4: Dehumanising/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
Flagged Quote:“οδηγούσε το πατίνι”
Suggested Rewording:Refer to the minor as 'χειριστής ηλεκτρικού πατινιού' instead of reducing the description to the device alone.
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 21 Aug 2026
Cyprus Times
Title: AMBERContent: AMBEROverall: AMBER
R4: Dehumanising/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
Flagged Quote:“προσέκρουσε με πατίνι”
Suggested Rewording:Refer to the person as 'ο χειριστής πατινιού' or '14χρονος χειριστής ηλεκτρικού πατινιού' rather than reducing the event description to the vehicle-object framing alone.
R4: Dehumanising/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
Flagged Quote:“ανήλικος που οδηγούσε πατίνι”
Suggested Rewording:Use 'χειριστής πατινιού' or 'ανήλικος χειριστής ηλεκτρικού πατινιού' to humanise rather than reduce identity to the vehicle.
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 07 Aug 2026
Typos
Title: AMBERContent: AMBEROverall: AMBER
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“τροχαίο στη Λευκωσία”
Suggested Rewording:Χρήση 'σύγκρουση στη Λευκωσία' αντί για 'τροχαίο', καθώς το 'τροχαίο' ως μεμονωμένος όρος υποδηλώνει 'ατύχημα'.
R4: Dehumanising/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
Flagged Quote:“Επέβαινε σε ηλεκτρικό πατίνι”
Suggested Rewording:Χρήση 'χειριστής ηλεκτρικού πατινιού' ή αναφορά στο άτομο ως 'ο 16χρονος' αντί να αναφέρεται μόνο μέσω του οχήματος.
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/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
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 27 Jul 2026
OmegaLive
Title: AMBERContent: REDOverall: RED
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“Τροχαίο Λεμεσού”
Suggested Rewording:Χρήση "Σύγκρουση στη Λεμεσό" αντί για "Τροχαίο", καθώς η λέξη "τροχαίο" ως ουσιαστικό φέρει υπονοούμενη σύνδεση με "ατύχημα".
R1: Collision not accident (use 'collision/crash')
Flagged Quote:“το ατύχημα σημειώθηκε”
Suggested Rewording:Χρήση "η σύγκρουση σημειώθηκε" αντί για "ατύχημα".
R2: Driver not car (attribute agency to driver)
Flagged Quote:“παρασύρθηκε από αυτοκίνητο”
Suggested Rewording:Αναφορά στον οδηγό: "παρασύρθηκε από οδηγό αυτοκινήτου" ή "ο οδηγός του αυτοκινήτου παρέσυρε τον άνδρα".
R4: Dehumanising/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
Flagged Quote:“επέβαινε σε ηλεκτρικό πατίνι”
Suggested Rewording:Χρήση περιγραφικού όρου για το πρόσωπο, π.χ. "ο χειριστής του ηλεκτρικού πατινιού", ώστε να μη μειώνεται σε αντικείμενο η αναφορά στο θύμα.
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 27 Jul 2026
Dialogos
Title: REDContent: GREENOverall: RED
R6: Sensationalism (avoid dramatic/fate-based framing)
Flagged Quote:“Μάχη για τη ζωή του”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε ουδέτερη διατύπωση όπως 'νοσηλεύεται σε κρίσιμη κατάσταση'.
R4: Dehumanising/generalising (avoid sweeping labels)
Flagged Quote:“άνδρα με ηλεκτρικό πατίνι”
Suggested Rewording:Χρησιμοποιήστε 'χειριστή ηλεκτρικού πατινιού' αντί να ταυτίζετε το άτομο με 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.