diff --git a/include/message_filters/subscriber.h b/include/message_filters/subscriber.h
index dd4d9ef..413a215 100644
--- a/include/message_filters/subscriber.h
+++ b/include/message_filters/subscriber.h
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ class Subscriber : public SubscriberBase<NodeType>, public SimpleFilter<M>
 
   std::string getTopic() const
   {
-    return this->topic_;
+    return std::string(this->sub_->get_topic_name());
   }
 
   /**