When Baum wrote that he’s “inclined to see an expanding, increasingly “noisy” and contentious public sphere” he meant that the transmission of information to and between the public is going to overwhelm the party’s ability to suppress and censor information. This is being caused by a demand for greater government transparency and openness in government, as well as “legislative pressure to strengthen private property rights.” As Baum puts it, the “unchecked monopoly” that the CCP has retained for decades is being pressured to implement institutional changes. This is in large part due to the media reforms over the recent years. This change in media has started from the fringes of control, where the top-down command of the central government has
