《苏报》原为“营业性质之小报”, 后在追踪时代潮流的过程中转成“善造风潮之报”。通过对各地“学界风潮”的持续报道, 《苏报》充分彰显了报刊传媒的社会批判功能, 并因此形成某种旨在批判教育腐败、政治专制和文化奴役的激进舆论。而后, 章士钊等人主持笔政, 着意对栏目设置和版面编排进行“改良”, 公开发表“排满”、“革命”文字, 使得《苏报》完全成为革命宣传的舆论工具。从《苏报》舆论的言论进路与话语策略来看, 实经历了一个由和缓而激烈、由教育批评而政治批判、由双向“交流”而单向“灌输”的过程。

Su Bao, was originally a business tabloid seeking profits, and later became a newspaper creating agitation in the course of its following currents. Through its constant reports on the "student agitation" in various cities, Su Bao greatly highlighted the newspaper media's function of social criticism, thus forming certain radical public opinion aiming at attacking educational corruption, political autocracy and cultural enslavement. Afterwards, Zhang Shi-zhao and some others overtly published their essays of "overthrowing Manchus" and "revolution" through their reforms on the newspaper column and layout. This made Su Bao completely become a revolutionary propaganda tool.