Newspapers have always had an older audience. The young don’t vote ( except in the minds of nutty liberals who are always proven wrong ) and the young don’t read newspapers. The best shot newspapers have is to be fair and unbiased. If they’re not, they don’t have a chance.
You're not the first person I've seen make this kind of statement. I'm not sure what drives it. Perhaps it has something to with Obama's strong showing among the 18-29 year-old demographic and our desire to temper that success with the fallacy that "the young don't vote".
In 2008, the 18-29 year-old demographic accounted for 18% of the total votes cast. In comparison, the over 60 demographic accounted for just over 23% of the total vote cast. Sure, the over 60 cast more votes, but there's a whole lot more over 60 people - and that trend will continue as the baby-boomers age.
What's more interesting however, is according to Tuft's University - which has done exhaustive research on the subject - the "youth" vote increased 60% from 2004 - well outpacing their older American colleagues. While they still aren't voting in the "percentage of eligible voters" that's seen in the older demographics, they're catching up - quickly.
Youth Turnout Rate Rises to at Least 52%
Lastly, Obama captured the 18-29 year-old demographic 66%-32%, which is the highest margin of victory recorded since the 60's - and perhaps ever as these statistics weren't kept prior to then. Obama's 66-32 margin represents some 7.9 million more actual votes than John McCain. Obama's total margin of victory over McCain was only 9.5 million. Essentially, Obama's dominance in the youth vote accounted for just over 83% of his total margin of victory.
Do you still think the "young don't vote?"