From Fairfax:

A cashed-up campaign to oppose funding cuts to the ABC and defend the public broadcaster’s independence will target more than 20 marginal Coalition seats in a new headache for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

More than 10 videos will be released on social media urging younger voters to support candidates who commit to restore funding cut since the last election. The national campaign has also enlisted thousands of volunteers to ask voters in the marginal seats to sign “pledge cards” supporting the ABC.

From Friends of the ABC:

TARGET MARGINAL SEATS LIST RELEASED

MEDIA RELEASE

June 1st, 2016

ABC FRIENDS NATIONAL EMBARKS ON LANDMARK ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Almost 30 marginal seats targeted

Extensive Grassroots & Localised Social Media Campaigns

ABC Friends National, the not-for-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the national broadcaster and restoring its funding, is pleased to release, today, the extensive list of marginal seats it plans to target this Federal Election.

With a renewed vigour thanks to an increase in membership and donations, and with the help of high-profile supporters, ABC Friends will be launching a three-pronged attack, designed to encourage the electorate to vote for any candidate supporting the ABC and a restoration of its funding.

Our campaign will include:

•A hyper-targeted social media campaign, including more than 10 comedic films and animations and a host of other shareable content

•A grassroots street campaign, conducted by our many thousands of volunteers, who’ll be asking people to pledge to support the ABC this election

•A targeted local media campaign, raising local issues in relation to the ABC and its recent cutbacks.

“Although ABC funding hasn’t raised an eyebrow so far this election, we’re throwing everything we have at changing public opinion because we see this as a crucial election for the national broadcaster,” said Ranald Macdonald, ABC Friends Spokesman and former Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of The Age.

“The more than $300m in cuts to the ABC since the Abbott/Turnbull governments came to power has routed the organization, costing jobs, quality, an hundreds of hours of Australian-produced content.”

“We also fear what could happen if the government is returned,’ he said, “and the spectres of advertising or sell-offs emerge.”

“So we call on all who support the continued importance of a strong, independent and inclusive national broadcaster to make it clear to candidates of whatever political persuasion that they will get their vote on July 2,” he said.

To be clear this movement is independent of the national broadcaster but, let’s face it, it is partisan and not much more than an outsourcing of internal ABC frustrations.

I like and value the ABC and was appalled when it cut Fact Check. But like everyone else, it needs to take a share of the pain as Australia’s economy passes through its post-mining boom adjustment. That process is in some large part about how to reduce the national dependence upon Canberra for funding as the Budget is struck down by huge and permanent revenue falls.

Whether the ABC has been unfairly targeted in that process I cannot say, and the biggest part of the problem is that nobody in the leadership class has articulated any kind of narrative of mutual sacrifice that enables us to judge.

But joining the Great Australian Scab Grab of openly campaigning to influence policy in order to boost one’s own coffers is hardly a flattering pursuit for a news organisation or its “friends”.