William F. Walsh (December 20, 1961 – March 15, 2017) was a

copy editor Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material ( copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The Chicago Manual o ...

at ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

''. He spoke on copy editing and was a regular presenter at annual conferences of the American Copy Editors Society. His books include ''Lapsing into a Comma'' (2000); ''The Elephants of Style'' (2004); and ''Yes, I Could Care Less'' (2013). Walsh also worked on the Slot, a website for copy editors that he founded in August 1995.

Personal

Walsh was born in

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of t ...

, and raised in Madison Heights, Michigan, and

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by Tempe on the west, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Communit ...

. He obtained his degree in journalism from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...

in 1984. Upon graduating, he began working as a reporter and editor for the ''

Phoenix Gazette The ''Phoenix Gazette'' was a newspaper published in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It was founded in 1881, and was known in its early years as the ''Phoenix Evening Gazette''. In 1889, it was purchased by Samuel F. Webb, who at the time wa ...

''. He also worked for ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...

'' and ''

'' as an editor. Walsh died in Arlington, Virginia, on March 15, 2017, after a bout with bile-duct cancer.

References

External links

The Slot: a Place for Copy Editors
Bill Walsh's website, including his blog (1995-2017) 1961 births 2017 deaths American copy editors American non-fiction writers The Washington Post people Deaths from cancer in Virginia Deaths from cholangiocarcinoma University of Arizona alumni {{US-editor-stub 20th-century American journalists American male journalists