Why do most editors ask for photos for free from photographers?

[Steve P]

Same with music. People seem to think that the musicians are just doing it for fun and deserve no compensation, that any music should be free for the taking anyway it can be done.

There are now simply tons of people who have no respect or understanding of any professional or artistic endeavor. Free entitlement to anything they want seems to have become what people expect now.

I suppose since every man, woman, child, zebra, elephant, mongoose, and every other living creature on the face of the Earth now has some form of camera, the respect for those who do it really well is just gone. Many people no longer even know what good photography is. As "Picture Taker" stated, many people are now happy with good enough, or even below that, and will take that for free over paying the cost of quality work.

steve