In terms of the representation of social and political changes, the relationship between government and society during the years of perestroika, the newspaper “The Young Leninist”, aimed at young people, is of undoubted interest. The study of the relevance of the issues of publications and the accentuation in them contributed to the identification of the state of society and the processes that took place at the turn of the XX–XXI centuries. The analysis allowed us to determine that in 1985-1987 the newspaper had little influence on the processes of perestroika, the subject of publications and the presentation of materials remained in line with existing traditions. The changes were manifested in the growth of the description of negative phenomena (drunkenness, thefts, stealing of state property, etc.), as well as of the first economic reforms that did not lead to noticeable results. In 1988‒1989, materials appeared covering the introduction of rental contracts and self-financing of enterprises, the election of executives on an alternative basis, and the description of organized crime among young people and teenagers became particularly relevant. The main innovation of 1990‒1991 was the description of an acute struggle for power, its loss by the communists (A. I. Berezin who was removed from the post of the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the MASSR and the First Secretary of the regional party committee) and taking by the democrats (V. D. Guslyannikov who became the first and the last President of the Mordovian SSR), the role that the Saransk Municipal Executive Committee of People’s Deputies played in this.