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 quality and readability, as well as ensuring that a text is free of errors in grammar, style, and accuracy. ''The Ch ...

at ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. 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, and raised in Madison Heights, Michigan, and

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...

. 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, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

in 1984. Upon graduating, he began working as a reporter and editor for the '' Phoenix Gazette''. He also worked for '' The Washington Times'' 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 People from Pottsville, Pennsylvania Deaths from cancer in Virginia Deaths from cholangiocarcinoma in the United States University of Arizona alumni {{US-editor-stub 20th-century American journalists American male journalists