---
title: Interview with Ana Narvaez, Editor at The Urban Developer
description: Ana is the editorial director of property and cities publication The Urban Developer. She left the law to pursue a…
---

[Media Research Information and Insights ](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog)

# [Interview with Ana Narvaez, Editor at The Urban Developer](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/blog-ana-narvaez-the-urban-developer)

 Written by [Admin](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/author/admin) | Aug 7, 2019 8:47:29 AM

<https://theurbandeveloper.com/author/ana%20narvaez>Ana is the editorial director of property and cities publication The Urban Developer. She left the law to pursue a career in digital publishing and has worked as a writer and editor in Australia and internationally.

**When did you first decide you wanted to be a journalist?**  
I didn’t really — I just knew I didn’t want to be a lawyer! I studied English literature and always wanted to be a “writer” but wasn’t quite sure how that would come to pass. When the opportunity at *The Urban Developer *transpired I jumped at it, although my understanding about property was scant at best. The website had substantial reach and audience numbers and I was excited about its prospects for growth.

 

**How do you operate and filter stories in an industry where everyone pitching to you has got a strong agenda?**  
It’s not easy. Originally I just removed the “opinion” column — aspiring op-ed writers for *The Urban Developer* tend to be PR firms spruiking their newest client. Now our small team (three of us) have increasing conversations on the “quality” of the news. There’s a fine balance when reporting on development for example — more often than not it’s just a marketing ploy. For that reason, we try and cover project news as early as possible. For market-based stories and research, we preference certain economists, official data sources and university research.

 

**How do you think the media has influenced the property industry?**  
I’d say it may be more the other way round.

 

**What story has been the most interesting story to work on so far this year?**  
We write and publish so quickly we tend not to do “long-tail” or long-form editorial — but there have been a few ongoing stories that have been quite interesting. The ebb and flow of the housing market are most interesting to me! It’s quite dramatic. I also love writing about architecture.

 

**What makes a good press release?**  
Exclusivity and newsworthiness.

[View full post](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/blog-ana-narvaez-the-urban-developer)

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