Neil McIntosh, who was responsible for introducing blogs and video reporting to guardian.co.uk, predicted that regional newspapers may die out completely as online journalism becomes more popular.
McIntosh singled out Scottish newspapers The Scotsman and The Herald as titles particularly in danger of disappearing, as he considered them unappealing to local readers.
"The Herald and Scotsman titles are in real real trouble" he said "It's a dreadful mess. It's a tough time all around but pain is being felt harder in the regions than it is in the nationals"
He added that both newspapers had failed to see the importance of journalism on the web, having recently downsized the output of their online counterparts, while other titles have worked hard to improve and expand on theirs, with much success.
Online journalism has shown itself to be a hugely successful alternative to print in recent years, as this article from journalism.co.uk shows. Not only are newspapers and magazines losing the battle for readers but McIntosh also suggests that continuing to publish them "doesn't make financial sense", as their online alternatives make much more money through advertising
His comments echo those of Emily Bell, the director of digital content for Guardian News and Media, who argued in a recent blogpost that even some national newspapers could be at risk of disappearing under falling readership and revenue.
While Bell predicts that The Mirror and The Express are the most at risk because of commitments to investors and shareholders, McIntosh believes that The Independent, which is Britain's least read daily newspaper and recently sacked 90 of its staff, is the obvious choice. He suggested that the paper may stop publishing an edition everyday or it could possibly become free.
Unfortunately it is a very real possibility that other newspapers and magazines may have no choice but to do the same over time if they are to have any chance of surviving alongside the world wide web.
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