Herald Sun gets handsy … the Prince gives in

Get ready to be touched. Can you feel the anticipation in the air? Forget just the toe, News Limited’s entire bottom half will be dipped into the burgeoning tablet market this week, as the Murdoch tabloids finally begin their march to circulation salvation via the iPad. First cab off the rank is Melbourne’s Herald Sun — which will launch its new iPad app on Friday — and gee, aren’t they excited, what with slogans such as “touch the news that touches you”.

Just in case you are keen on touching said news, a one-month subscription to the app will cost $7.99. The Daily Telegraph will also launch on Friday, with Brisbane’s Courier-Mail and Adelaide’s The Advertiser online in the next few weeks. — Tom Cowie

Royal romance in the air. So Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married. Hell, there’s already commemorative mugs available. So Crikey turned its attention to the British papers and we wondered if yesterday’s Evening Courier — “the voice of Calderdale” — jumped the gun a little early…

The big Vic election issues. The good people of Shepparton know an election issue when they see it …

Front page scoop of the day. From the Gold Coast Bulletin. Enough said…

— Leigh Josey (read more of Leigh’s Morning Media Mauling on the Team Crikey blog)

‘Premium’ footy safe from Conroy’s hit list

“NRL chief executive David Gallop says free-to-air television networks will retain access to premium matches if proposed changes to anti-siphoning rules are approved by cabinet.” — The Australian

The op-ed that rankled Olbermann: Ted Koppel on objectivity

“The commercial success of both Fox News and MSNBC is a source of nonpartisan sadness for me. While I can appreciate the financial logic of drowning television viewers in a flood of opinions designed to confirm their own biases, the trend is not good for the republic.” — The Washington Post

Future of the web — up close and personal

“When my partners and I joined MySpace, we were lucky enough to be at the leading edge of the social revolution that changed how we use the Internet. A new groundswell is coming, transforming the web once again: the personal revolution.” — Tech Crunch

Emailing via Facebook? Good luck

“Did you go ‘uh?’ when Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook’s new email system isn’t email? Don’t worry — so did everyone else. Facebook’s plans for integrating email, text messaging, instant messaging (aka “SMS” and “IM”) and Facebook messages are technology’s equivalent of the Schleswig-Holstein Question: only three people understand it, and one is mad and another is dead.” — The Guardian

Zimbabwe a minefield for journalists

“Church members in Mbare on Sunday joined sycophants of known intolerant political parties in Zimbabwe in harassing and attacking journalists who dare criticise the status quo and defend freedom of association and expression.” — NewsDay

Front-page news: will you marry me?

“London’s free daily newspaper Metro gave its readers a chance to win the cover one day this week — so a gay fan of the paper used the unique opportunity to make a romantic proposal.” — SameSame