ABSTRACT
How do Chinese media derive the autonomy to practice relatively freely, and how are they deprived of it? By analyzing the case of Southern Weekend, this study proposes one crucial factor—the central–local power structure within the Party's censorship system to explain the dramatic changes of media autonomy in China. It argues that the divergence between the local authority and the central propagandists in dealing with the local media has guaranteed the autonomy of local media practitioners. The autonomy becomes eroded later when the central authority rationalizes the nomenklatura system of the regulatory bodies. By nurturing loyal agents at the local level, the central authority successfully eases the tension within the central–local power structure and strengthens its control over the regionallybased media outlets.
