Nevada campaign coverage solicited

Yahoo is looking for writers and photographers to cover the presidential campaign in Nevada. But be prepared to work for free.

“Colorado and Nevada residents, you’re the ones keeping President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney campaigning in the West these days,” read an article bylined “by Yahoo! News” last week. “With the presidential race tight in your states, you’re getting a lot of attention the rest of us don’t see. We want to know what it’s like, and here’s your chance to show us! Share your stories and photos with Yahoo News, and we might feature them in a series we’re doing about 2012 swing states. … We’re also publishing readers’ photos from the campaign trail, so snap away and share those, too!”

The article did not mention money, so we contacted Yahoo. Its news editor, Laura Davis, responded, “We’re not paying for stories or photos becasue we’re putting everything into a piece in which Colorado and Nevada residents will act as sources, and we can’t pay for sources.”

Of course, paying for photos isn’t—well, never mind.