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Reuters faced criticism on social media after users accused the news agency of using a misleading headline about a traffic accident involving a Turkish self-driving bus in Sweden.
The criticism followed a Reuters report published under the headline: “Turkey’s Karsan self-driving bus hit in Sweden on first day of service.”
Social media users said the wording gave the impression that the autonomous bus had caused the accident, although the article itself reportedly stated that the vehicle was struck by a tram.
A community note later appeared under the Reuters post on the U.S. social media platform X, challenging the framing of the headline.
“Contrary to the headline, the bus ‘was’ hit by a tram as stated in the article,” the note said.
Several users accused Reuters of damaging the reputation of Karsan through the way the headline presented the incident.
The debate spread widely among Turkish social media users, with many saying the wording should have made clear that the bus was struck from behind by a tram rather than implying fault by the autonomous vehicle.
The self-driving bus was involved in a crash with a tram on its first day carrying passengers in the Swedish city of Gothenburg on Monday, according to Vasttrafik, the local public transport company.
Vasttrafik spokesperson Patrik Chi told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the bus had been taken out of service for inspection after the incident.
“The self-driving bus with people onboard in Gothenburg braked and was hit from behind by a tram. There are no casualties or personal damages,” Chi said.
Despite there being no injuries, project manager Per Nyrenius told Sweden Herald that “the project has remained unchanged, but safety is most important.”
Users also called for greater precision in international reporting involving Turkish companies, arguing that headline framing can influence how readers understand an incident before reading the full report.
Karsan has emerged as one of Türkiye’s leading exporters of electric and autonomous public transportation vehicles.
The company operates in multiple European markets, including in the field of autonomous public transport.
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