Alumni Feature
“ The genesis of that came from ( Siena Heights ),” he said . “ I remember having so many English classes that the Sisters had me using active voice ( in his writing ). To this day , I think about it .”
When he graduated , the newspaper hired him as a reporter , and he spent several years honing his craft until the opportunity with the magazine came along .
“ A deskmate of mine was doing freelance articles for a new publication in Ann Arbor ,” Borton recalled . “ He says to me , ‘ This would be right up your alley .’”
He applied for the job with the then-fledgling The Wolverine Magazine and was hired . Now , more than 20 football bowl games later , he is in charge of the news operation that has the task of covering UM ’ s multitude of athletic programs — and personalities — on a daily basis .
“ I was a fanatical Michigan fan ,” Borton said when he started with the magazine . “ I was well-grounded in that area before I went up there . … It ’ s tough to stay unbiased . We try not to be adversarial , and we ’ ve never tried to make it personal .”
However , Borton realizes that while most of his readers want to read about the “ good news ” of the athletic program , they also want the details when the news isn ’ t so positive .
“ You can walk a fine line ,” he said . “ It ’ s always interesting and always that tension . That ’ s part of learning to navigate .”
Borton said establishing trust and good relationships with the coaches , administration and the student-athletes is a key part of his job . But keeping his credibility with his readers is equally as important .
“ I remember having so many English classes that the Sisters had me using active voice ( in his writing ). To this day , I think about it .”
“ You have to build a reputation of honesty and integrity so people know you ’ re going to do your homework ,” he said . “ What you put out there ( needs ) to be trustworthy . People want to know they are getting a fair shake .”
Borton said the Jim Harbaugh era has ushered in new enthusiasm at Michigan , but also has its challenges .
“ You want pressure ? It ’ s sitting there in a Jim Harbaugh press conference and making sure you don ’ t ask a question that is going to get you ‘ Harb-ed ,’” Borton said of the term that means asking a dumb question . “ He ’ s an intense character . He ’ s a winner .”
Although the focuses is primarily on football and men ’ s basketball — which drives subscriptions — he said he makes a point to try to cover other Michigan athletic programs fairly .
“ We try to reach out and cover other things ,” he said . “ Our readers consider football steak and the others are vegetables , I guess . That ’ s a tough balance . They ’ re not any less important in a sense that they work just as hard .”
Borton ’ s job has evolved with the technology as well . No longer a “ traditional ” editor reading and editing copy , he has learned how to take and edit video and audio , and also keep up in social media circles .
“ I actually do less editing now than I used to ,” he said . “ These days , I ’ m running around with a monopod and my phone camera shooting press conferences or shooting the NCAA tournament . I never thought I ’ d tweet in my life . Now I tweet every day . That ’ s just part of the deal .”
From sitting in Schembechler ’ s office listening to old football stories to shadowing student-athletes who visit children in Mott Children ’ s Hospital , Borton said he is living out his dream job .
“ It ’ s been a great experience ,” Borton said . “ I ’ ve gotten to know so many people up there ( at Michigan ), and enjoyed so many aspects of that world .” u
Reflections Fall ’ 16 | 11