This week, we were supposed to feel all sorts of emotions at news the national broadcaster is to shed 250 jobs amid government funding "cuts".

Many have jumped onboard with that sentiment, bleating about how its heart is being ripped out and how it's all a terrible threat to our democracy.

In the context of the economic crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, the hue and cry is way over the top.

More than 800,000 Australians lost their jobs in the last three months and while restrictions are being lifted - except in Victoria - the bad news hasn't stopped, with Qantas announcing serious cuts to its workforce.

Our governments have been haemorrhaging money, both due to the downturn and also their attempts to mitigate its impact.

The Morrison government is being condemned for shortchanging the ABC by the same people who will lambaste its budget deficits and the blowout in the nation's debt.

For his part, the Prime Minister denies he's cutting the ABC's cloth, though that's a little disingenuous.

The government is, as he says, providing it with more than $1 billion of taxpayers' money each year and that figure is forecast to increase over the forward estimates.

What he doesn't say is that those increases are rather small; so much so that when accounting for inflation it represents a cut in funding in real terms. And that means management has had to find savings.

In context again, it amounts to $84 million over three years out of a budget of more $1 billion a year, and will mean 250 jobs will go out of a total of more than 4000 employees.

Some reporting on the ABC's circumstances this week related it to job losses in commercial media.

That is, we were reminded of News Corp's decision to no longer print a host of community and regional newspapers, and even close the doors on some.

ACM - the publisher of this newspaper and many others - has also had to temporarily suspend the printing of some non-daily mastheads and stand down staff.

Like other industries, the media is doing it tough, but the publicly-funded ABC does not belong in the same basket.

In fact, what's not pointed out often enough is that it is competing with the commercial media, and that's come to include newspapers in the online world.

Where others put a value on the work of journalists, the ABC gives it away for "free".

Of course, it's not free; it's paid for from our taxes whether we choose to consume its content or not.

Speaking of which, there is no lack of support in the Australian community for the ABC, and yet the figures in its own annual report show it enjoys less than 20 per cent of the prime-time TV audience.

With a handful of exceptions, such as the offerings aimed at young children, much of its programming attracts little interest.

Its supporters - or "friends" - dismiss such criticism, arguing the national broadcaster must be protected from the death of a thousand cuts at the hands of ideologically opposed conservative governments.

That's not an entirely unreasonable fear given the more recent and previous cuts.

Meanwhile, the routine accusations of bias by, generally, Coalition MPs are enough on their own to create a siege mentality.

This perception that the ABC leans to the left has some basis, but it is also unfair to the overwhelming majority of its journalists who strive to deliver fair and balanced reporting.

Such "culture wars" aside, it is important though to maintain some perspective.

In spite of the "relentless attacks" on the ABC it has increased its presence across the broader media landscape, often, as stated, in competition with commercial media.

One of the targets for the cuts announced this week is a "lifestyle portal", ABC Life, that was only established in 2018.

This demonstrates savings can be made that won't impact on its core business; on the services Australians say they most value.

And let's not forget this is a corporation that even during a time of economic crisis can rely on receiving more than $1 billion a year in revenue.

As the Prime Minister said: "If you are a journalist today, the safest place for you to be is actually the ABC because your revenue is guaranteed ... by the government."

So, no, I'm not buying all the hyperbolic angst over a modest reduction in funding.

The ABC can afford its haircut.