NEW YORK CITY—Some 50 members of the local chapter of the Mortgage Bankers Association convened last night at the offices of First American Title to learn about the working press—and how to work with the press.

An hour-long Meet the Press panel discussion was lively and interactive and gave the MBA a chance to see the way commercial real estate editors approach their craft.  The panel—mostly working editors—featured Real Estate Forum editor-in-chief Sule Aygoren and representatives from such outlets as the New York Post and Crain’s New York Business.

Questions from the audience dominated the session and the question naturally turned to pay-for-play, the practice of giving favored editorial treatment to advertisers.  To a person all of the panelists described the “Chinese Wall” that exists between editorial and sales.  But Aygoren kept it real. “Let’s be frank,” she told the crowd. “None of us panders to advertisers. But if we did not cover our advertisers, we would not report on the activities of CBRE or Cushman & Wakefield  or Jones Lang LaSalle. We’re serious journalists.”

Asked how to approach editors with pitches, Aygoren stressed that would-be interviewees “know the magazine,” and not remind editors that they are advertisers. “It doesn’t help the pitch.” The other panelists nodded in agreement.

The panel was represented largely by print media. This provided the opportunity for Aygoren to describe Real Estate Media's deep bench and multi-faceted approach. This consists of editors around the country working for both GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum as well as a three-tiered platform consisting of print (Real Estate Forum); digital (GlobeSt.com); and conferences (RealShare).