On May 1, Freedom House published its 2014 rankings, in which Turkish press freedom regressed from the "partly free" to the "not free" category. With the release coming just two days before World Press Freedom Day, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) could not ignore the report's findings, which opened up a Pandora’s box of reaction from the government and its supporters.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s words got the most attention: “Turkey allows all kinds of views to be openly expressed. In this respect, press freedom in Turkey is even freer than countries deemed to be 'partly free,' and it has deeper roots in terms of freedom than 'free' countries.” It was rather difficult for many observers to swallow his claim, but Davutoglu did not stop there. He continued, “The category that Freedom House puts Turkey in is not based on any objective information, which shows that the report is based on perception.”
To the amazement of his audience, he then said, “Our journalists should reject this report.” Social media reacted to Davutoglu’s comments with satire — “Not Zaytung [a Turkish online satire magazine similar to The Onion] just Davutoglu” — and many pundits considered the suggestion for “our journalists to reject the report” as an order from above. Two satirical lines were extensively circulated on social media sites: “Yes, we are free, after being fired” and “We are free to praise the government, there are no limits for that.”
On May 1, I asked a bureaucrat with strong links to the AKP what she thought of the report. She told me, “Well, think about it. Who is Freedom House? We do not think of Freedom House as independent; we think of it as American, and then you guys complain about the rise of anti-Americanism.” She asked me not reveal her name, because of her strong reply to my question. But it is odd, because since May 1 pro-AKP media outlets have been publishing pieces asking “What is Freedom House?” while indicating how the report is the doing of the US government. In one particular piece, the author states that “90% of the funding for Freedom House comes from the State Department.” Another media outlet said, “Look who is behind that ranking,” claiming that “the Israeli lobby and George Soros” were the main sponsors of Freedom House.
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