diff --git a/lisp/ChangeLog b/lisp/ChangeLog
index fc51f86bc37..4553b6ed28c 100644
--- a/lisp/ChangeLog
+++ b/lisp/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2011-01-11  Stefan Monnier  <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
+
+	* whitespace.el (global-whitespace-newline-mode): Fix call (bug#7810)
+	to minor mode which used nil accidentally to mean "turn off".
+
 2011-01-10  Michael Albinus  <michael.albinus@gmx.de>
 
 	* net/tramp.el (tramp-find-inline-compress)
diff --git a/lisp/whitespace.el b/lisp/whitespace.el
index 353d7fef189..6608c0c2c50 100644
--- a/lisp/whitespace.el
+++ b/lisp/whitespace.el
@@ -1188,7 +1188,8 @@ See also `whitespace-newline' and `whitespace-display-mappings'."
   :global     t
   :group      'whitespace
   (let ((whitespace-style '(newline-mark newline)))
-    (global-whitespace-mode global-whitespace-newline-mode)
+    (global-whitespace-mode (if global-whitespace-newline-mode
+                                1 -1))
     ;; sync states (running a batch job)
     (setq global-whitespace-newline-mode global-whitespace-mode)))