Profile:
Gloria Borger

Gloria Borger: From Editor-in-Chief of The Huguenot Herald to Award-Winning Journalist

By Annie Gombiner

Gloria Borger is the senior political analyst at CNN. She graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1970 and served as the editor-in-chief of The Huguenot Herald. She then attended college at Colgate University, where she was the editor-in-chief of The Colgate Maroon. Throughout her career, Borger was a reporter at The Washington Star, chief congressional correspondent for Newsweek magazine, national correspondent for CBS News and a columnist at US News & World Report magazine. Borger has also reported and anchored several presidential documentaries at CNN, most recently of then-candidate Joe Biden. In April, Borger received the 2023 Washington Women in Journalism “Hall of Fame” award.

The Herald conducted an interview with Borger, and the following responses have been edited for space.

What is the value of journalism?

Journalism is more important now than it has ever been. Phil Graham, who once owned The Washington Post, called journalism “the first rough draft of history”. I really think that’s what it is. Journalists have to be the ones to ask the tough questions and get as close to the truth as possible.

What sparked your interest in journalism?

I was always very curious, so I started writing for The Huguenot Herald and eventually became editor. I really did not want to live my life as a bystander, and my form of involvement became reporting. We covered national events, like assassinations, and local issues, like curriculum and the 1968 fire. Writing for The Huguenot Herald allowed me to find a way to begin to process the changing world in which I lived.

How did your experience as the editor-in-chief of The Huguenot Herald influence your journalism career?

Writing for The Huguenot Herald taught me how to become a contributing member to a group of people with the same goal: producing a good newspaper. We became a community. Everyone had his or her own role: some people were reporters, some took photographs, others designed the layout of the paper, but we were all interconnected. That ability to collaborate has helped me throughout my entire career. In newsrooms you have to understand how to collaborate, to be a team player, so I am very grateful to have learned that skill early on. 

How would you describe your journalistic philosophy?

Do your job. As a journalist, my job is to report every story, know my facts, ask questions to people on all sides of the issue, and try to get to the truth of the matter. News has become very siloed, which means that everyone seems to have a different version of the truth. Journalists need to ensure that people get the most accurate information possible. 

How have you seen American journalism change during your career?

Throughout my career, the largest change in American journalism has been the distribution and presentation of news. When I started out in my political reporting career, everything was geared towards the 6 o’clock news. If a candidate wanted to announce something, for example, they would do it in time for the evening news broadcast. Now, I work for a 24/7 news network. People expect to get their news instantly, which means that I am always working. With so many more ways to present the news, there is also a lot of opportunity for younger people. 

Is it possible or even worthwhile to objectively report on the news without expressing a personal viewpoint?

I think that it depends on what the job is. In certain scenarios, like reporting a murder, you just have to give the straight facts. As a political analyst, my duties are slightly more complicated. I first have to report the facts and then use my reporting to provide context. Even for analysts, though, everything has to be based in fact. 

What do you think is the best method to ensure that Americans receive accurate news?

It is very hard because people are increasingly seeing the world through different windows. You watch one network and you get one thing, and then you get a completely different story from another network. Journalists need to preserve some sense of accuracy and present both sides. If journalists do that, then people can form their own opinions. 

What challenges do you face as a woman in journalism?

Throughout my career, women have made significant progress in journalism, but it is still difficult, especially for working mothers. Newsrooms have finally realized the value of having women at the table, so there are significantly more women in journalism than when I started. However, I think life has, in a way, become harder for my younger female colleagues. When I was a working mother, I had a deadline once a week, so I could just go home and not write. Now, working mothers have no real off time. The 24/7 nature of the news cycle has forced everyone to constantly be on the clock.