本文縷述毛繹東身後中國大陸改革十年內新聞自由觀念的變化。十年間，中國大陸之內有關新聞自由的論述，經歷劇變，由悉心研究新聞媒介的變通方法，更好地充當黨的喉舌，轉而致力探求妙法良方，建立有公信力的新聞媒介。從新聞自由在觀念上涉及的三方面，包括自由的目的、誰可享有、侵擾自由的根源等，均可察見這種轉變。有關論述重點的轉移，使新聞改革的主張不再囿於想方設法，為執政者及建制竭誠服務，反而擴闊視野，正視新聞自由的實現條件，特別是處處制肘新聞自由的社會環境及政治體制。正如本文所指出，沿著這套思路發展下去，中國大陸新聞界再難甘於只為官方的新聞政策增刪潤飾，而是漸次有更多人要求新聞媒介成為社會公器，有助人民實踐其民主權利。

　　　　　This article traces the gradual conceptual changes on press freedom in the first decade of reform in post-Mao mainland China. By examining the changing themes on the three dimensions of press freedom, namely its objectives, eligibility of the entitlement, and sources of infringement, it can be witnessed that the discourse on press freedom has undergone dramatic changes from the preoccupation for improvement of the press as a party organ to the concern for establishing a credible press. The shifted emphasis made obsolete the conventional wisdom widely held by academics and practitioners in the early days of the reform period that the reform of the press should be concerned with the ways and means to better serve the ruling party and the status quo generally while no critical thought was given on the social environment and political establishement as impediments to press freedom. As argued by this paper, reflections on the social preconditions for and political desirability of press freedom since the mid-1980s not only surpassed the interests in renovations of party's orthodox policy of the press, but also paved the way for the emergence of the growing concern for press freedom as a democratic right of the people.