I started in journalism at Gündem, a daily even the reading of which required courage let alone writing for it. Just a year ago, along with 23 colleagues, I was dismissed from the Taraf daily as a result of an operation in which the Gülen Movement had a finger.Therefore, freedom of the press is a personal matter for me, and I keep a close watch on the relevant researches of national and international nongovernmental organizations. I am mostly supportive of prestigious and independent research institutes like the Free Press Unlimited. Due to my personal concern about the matter, I closely scrutinized the 2013 report on Freedom of the Press released by Freedom House, a U.S.-based think tank institute.The report ranked Turkey 134th with 62 points. Undoubtedly, Turkey has some troubles with its freedom of press. However, this is not enough to demote Turkey - which is a candidate country for EU membership - to the same category with Egypt, Libya and Kyrgyzstan. As a Turkish journalist, I wonder how Freedom House will answer my following questions: 1- Upon which criteria does Freedom House base its reports? Almost every day in Turkey, 30 national newspapers out of the 40 publish indecent headlines against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that can be included within the scope of a hate crime on a universal basis. In order to refute this argument, I think it will be sufficient to have a look at the front cover of Türksolu magazine, which portrays Erdoğan on the gallows and captions "You will come to this sticky end." However, none of these newspapers, magazines and television channels are imposed with any legal sanctions. So, how do you put a country, where the press can pursue such a rigid opposition, in the same equation with dictatorial countries? Did you investigate whether these kinds of publications that are against universal law are allowed in the U.S. and Europe, the countries that were ranked the highest? 2- Which concrete data did you rely on and associate problems about the freedom of the press with the Turkish government? Or did you research the fund of media organizations in Turkey? Have you ever thought of researching the publications of media outlets that are almost in a state of monopoly about the freedom of the press? Do you not find it nonsensical to accuse the Turkish government for the dismissal of tens of journalists just because they approved some politics of the government? And why do you not try to diversify your information resources? 3- You scored 62 points for Turkey in 2013 due to some journalist detainees and unemployed writers. How many points did the apparently sensitive Freedom House give Turkey in 1994 when the Özgür Gündem daily was bombed by state gangs, tens of its workers were arrested and even murdered in the streets? As far as we can notice, Freedom House does not care about these sort of things. In 1990, you downgraded Turkey only a few points more than 2013, although 50 journalists were killed then. 4- As claimed in the report, the information that suggests 44 journalists are imprisoned does not reflect the reality either. Freedom House bases this argument on the April 24 dated report of the Platform for Solidarity with Imprisoned Journalists. However, you could have found the facts just with a little bit of research. As of May 2, the number of journalists who were judged and sentenced to prisons in Turkey is 17. Another 11 journalists are pending trial. Most of them are charged with bank robbery, bombing, looting and forging documents. In short, they are committed to prison not because of their professions, but rather by their actions, which are considered crimes across the world. At this point, does Freedom House mean journalists do not have criminal liability? According to universal criteria, Freedom House, the controversial nongovernmental organization, should first criticize itsorganic ties with U.S. institutions before it can try other countries. Then it should lay aside its orientalist prejudices and evaluate objectively. Under the current circumstances, the word "freedom" in its name remains reminiscent of the Ingsoc Party that rules the country with an absolute totalitarianism in Orwell's "1984." "War is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength."