At times, I am reminded as to why I actively support Australian public broadcasting, primarily in the form of the ABC.  Why do I worry about the quality of media in this country?  What if we woke up tomorrow and there was no ABC, and the dominant media organisation was the Murdoch Press (News Corp)?  Would that be good for our democracy and the broadcasting of valid, unbiased information?  Keep in mind that there are significant attempts to privatise the ABC, or even get rid of it completely (e.g., Institute of Public Affairs, Liberal Party Vote to Privatise the ABC), so a future Australia without the ABC is not inconceivable.

Is there public value in the ABC?  Media Watch is an ABC show which monitors the activities of the media.  Would a commercial broadcaster provide a show such as Media Watch?  If you have 18 minutes to spare, watch the last episode of Media Watch - https://iview.abc.net.au/video/FA2135H015S00 - for a wrap-up on how various media organisations portrayed participants in the recent Australian Federal election.

I am reminded! The ABC definitely needs friends.