抗日战争进入到战略相持阶段，全国团结抗战局面需要继续巩固，中国共产党亟需一张能够号召全国人民团结抗日并具有重要话语分量的报纸，因此延安《解放日报》应运而生。作为中国共产党在革命根据地创办的第一份大型中央机关报，延安《解放日报》自1941年创刊至1945年抗日战争结束，始终将团结人民战胜日本帝国主义镌刻进办报使命中。在全面抗战时期开展宣传工作的四年时间里，延安《解放日报》从人民的认知、情感、行动等维度发挥了团结人民抗日的功能。

从指出团结在抗战各个阶段的具体作用，清楚阐释了团结之于抗战的重要价值；到肯定人民有团结统一的精神品质、团结对敌的相同利益以及共产党的坚强后盾，减轻了人民对团结抗战的疑虑；再到强调团结抗战局面来之不易且尚存在分裂团结的各种因素，阐发了保护团结、反对分裂的观念，在认知层面完成强化人民团结抗战意识的功能。

从传递对民族陷入危亡关头的痛心、对敌寇投毒屠杀罪行的义愤和对汉奸叛国通敌行径的憎恨，增强了抗日人民的民族自尊心；到表露出对正义捍卫民族利益的确信、对抗日英雄歼敌卫国的崇敬和对普通民众抗日智慧的赞扬，催生出抗日人民的民族自豪感；再到激发人民承担个体责任的赤子胸怀、挽救全国同胞的家国情怀和声援世界人民的国际关怀，提升抗日人民的民族责任感，在情感层面完成激发人民团结抗战情绪的功能。

从鼓励人民呼吁停止内战一致抗日、制止敌人及其走狗的破坏并打击反共分子的荒谬宣传，指引人民维持抗日民族统一战线的大局；到号召人民加入八路军新四军、民兵和自卫军以及做好军队的后勤支撑，指引人民支援军事斗争的前线；再到要求人民积极投身生产、争取民主、接受教育，巩固抗日根据地的后方，在行动层面完成指引人民参与团结抗战行动的功能。

延安《解放日报》团结人民抗日的四年历程为中国共产党的团结宣传工作留下了宝贵经验财富，即树立团结奋斗的共同目标、巩固团结奋斗的宣传阵地、坚持团结奋斗的底线原则、创新团结奋斗的内容方法，对于新时代党媒带领人民为全面建设社会主义现代化国家、实现中华民族伟大复兴而团结奋斗具有重要启示意义。

As the war of resistance against Japanese aggression entered a strategic stalemate and the national unity against the war needed to be consolidated, the Communist Party of China needed a newspaper that could call on the people of China to unite against Japan and carry significant weight in its discourse. As the first major official newspaper of the Communist Party of China in the revolutionary base area, from its inception in 1941 to the end of the war in 1945, Yan'an Liberation Daily always had the mission of uniting the people to defeat Japanese imperialism engraved in its mission. During the four years of propaganda work during the full-scale war of resistance, Yan'an Liberation Daily performed the function of uniting the people against the Japanese in terms of their perceptions, emotions and actions.

From pointing out the specific role of unity in the various stages of the war, clearly explaining the important value of unity in the war; to affirming the people's spiritual quality of unity, the same interests of unity against the enemy and the strong backing of the Communist Party of China, alleviating the people's doubts about unity in the war; to emphasising that unity in the war is not easy to come by and that there were still various factors that divide unity, expounding the concept of protecting unity and opposing division, and the function of strengthening the awareness of unity in the war was completed at the cognitive level.

From conveying the pain of the nation at a critical juncture, the righteous indignation of the enemy's poisoning and massacre, and the hatred of the traitor's treasonous acts against the enemy, the national pride of the anti-Japanese people was strengthened; to revealing the certainty of justice in defending the national interests, the reverence of the anti-Japanese heroes in annihilating the enemy and defending the nation, and the praise of the ordinary people's wisdom in resisting the Japanese, the national pride of the anti-Japanese people was aroused; to inspiring the people to assume their individual responsibility, the family sentiment in saving the compatriots of the whole country, and the international concern in solidarity with the people of the world, the national sense of responsibility of the anti-Japanese people was enhanced, and the function of inspiring the people's unity in resisting the war was completed at the emotional level.

From encouraging the people to call for an end to the civil war and unite against Japan, stopping the sabotage of the enemy and their lackeys and combating the absurd propaganda of anti-communists, guiding the people to maintain the general situation of the anti-Japanese national united front; to calling on the people to join the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, the militia and the self-defence army and to provide logistical support for the army, guiding the people to support the front line of the military struggle; to asking the people to actively engage in production, fight for democracy, receive education and consolidate the rear of the anti-Japanese base areas, the function of guiding the people to participate in united anti-war actions was completed at the action level.

The four-year journey of Yan'an Liberation Daily in uniting the people against the Japanese left a wealth of valuable experience in the unity and propaganda work of the Communist Party of China, namely, establishing a common goal of striving in unity, consolidating the propaganda position of striving in unity, adhering to the bottom-line principle of striving in unity, and innovating the content and methods of striving in unity, which has important implications for the Party media in the New Era to lead the people to strive in unity for building a modern socialist country in all respects and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.