'In the future only Jeremy Clarkson will read newspapers'

Former News of the World editor Piers Morgan believes print papers will go the way of the dodo, with electronic readers stepping in to take their place.

Speaking last night at a showcase for the Palm Treo Pro, Morgan likened the future of print newspapers to that of vinyl records.

The current generation of newspaper readers, Morgan said will be the only ones with a "grubby... affection for newsprint. Our kids won't."

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According to Morgan, the next generation of news junkies will get their daily fix from "flexible readers they put in their pockets," leaving paper dailies with a limited circulation.

"[Jeremy Clarkson] will still demand one. The rest of us won't," he added.

According to analyst Nielsen/Netratings, newspaper readership has been declining steadily in recent years. In May 2003, the US consumed over 650,000 tons of newsprint. Five years later, that figure had dropped to under 450,000.

Internet newspaper readership continues to climb: Nielsen/Netratings found there were 41 million US web paper readers in May 2004. By May 2008, there were 69 million.

The death of paper is not the only change Morgan predicts will hit newspaper publishers. According to the former Daily Mirror editor, it seems print papers will be forced to emulate the pricing structure of online content.

"Newspapers will go free," he said.

"If you give away coffee every day on the streets and it gets to the point where it's as good as the coffee you pay for, you stop paying for it," he added.