Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s message on Working Journalists’ Day in the country received a huge reaction in the social networking sites.

Erdoğan’s statement noted that the media must be free and independent, reported Cumhuriyet daily of Turkey.

“The freer are those working in the press, journalists, [and] reporters, the democracy of the country will be that much stronger,” the Turkish president stated, in particular.

The social networking sites, however, did not treat this message seriously, and they recalled the hundreds of lawsuits filed against journalists, and on charges of insulting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.