"We'll take the cash but no byline, please," say journalists who work for content mills. Those who contract with vendors such as Demand Media, Seed and Yahoo's Associated Content -- dubbed "ad bait" by media observer Ken Doctor -- have found a writing life that's more speculative than lucrative, they told PBS MediaShift.
At least one vendor uses an algorithm to suggest topics for articles, many of which consist of top 10 lists and how-to pieces.
"I was completely aware that I was writing crap," one unnamed writer said. "I was like, 'I hope to God people don't read my advice on how to make gin at home because they'll probably poison themselves.'"
Elsewhere: More about content farms and hyperlocal news
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