# Truth Standard Debate

The General’s Pen: How the Military Press Secured Deng Xiaoping’s Ideological Pivot

This retrospective analyzes the pivotal role of the PLA Daily in 1978, when it provided the ideological momentum for Deng Xiaoping's reform agenda. By backing the 'Truth Standard' debate, the military press helped break the deadlock of Maoist dogmatism and paved the way for China's economic opening.