The ban formally ended on January 1, 1988. But because the day fell during the holidays, it was not until January 4 that the government began accepting applications to set up new newspapers. That day, seven newspapers and one news agency went through the application process, a statistic that marked the depth of society's demand for news.
報禁開放為民國 77 年（1988）元旦，但遇到連續假期，直到元月 4 日政府單位始受理新報申請，第一天即有 7 家報社、一家通訊社辦理手續，顯見社會對於新聞需求之殷切。