Rob Borkowski, Patch Staff

I started my career in 1996 covering my hometown, Coventry, RI, for the Kent County Daily Times and later as the first full-time reporter for the Coventry Courier. I learned a lot at the Courier about how journalism can contribute to and aid communities. I'd majored in journalism at URI so I could help people with my writing, and once I'd started doing that, I was hooked. I left the Courier in 1998 to work for Community Newspaper Company, editing the Weston Town Crier. Since then I've written and edited for many MetroWest towns. Before coming to Patch.com, I edited the Westwood Press and the Medfield Press for five years. I'm proud to have worked with many talented professionals in my time there, and count myself lucky to have made a living learning and writing about so many interesting towns and people. I've won eight awards with the New England Press Association and two from the New England News and Press Association, formed in 2009, including first place for the organization's new Right to Know Award. Outside of work, I'm a fan and as-yet unpublished writer of science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. 

Your Beliefs

At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.

POLITICS:

I'm an independent. I started voting Republican as a boy, during my school's mock elections. We backed Ronald Reagan by a big majority. I've since voted for real, more often for Democrats than Republicans, depending on which candidate I felt made the best case. I believe in conservative and liberal ideals: fiscal responsibility and strong regulation, to name one from each camp. Lately, I've found myself siding with the liberals. I try to approach stories with an open mind, and view objective reporting as a discipline - you work at it, but you're never perfect. Also, I find stories that look at each side are more interesting to write.

RELIGION:

I'm not very religious. I don't belong to a church, or subscribe to a particular religion. I'm agnostic, but I was raised Catholic/Christian and celebrate Christmas and Easter at home.