Greenwood, a co-author of McNae's Essential Law for Journalists for more than 30 years – died at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle on Sunday evening.
It is believed that he had been suffering ill health for a year.
Greenwood was a major force in journalism training and in advising on British journalistic law for more than 40 years.
A fellow of the Society of Editors since 2006 alongside his McNae’s co-editor, Tom Welsh, he had twice been chairman of the National Council for the Training of Journalists' law examinations board and retired in 2009 after a record 35 years' service.
Greenwood spent most of his career working for Thomson Regional Newspapers and Trinity Mirror, and as a law training consultant for Press Association Training.
He was an assistant editor at Thomson Regional Newspapers when he began co-editing McNae's Essential Law for Journalists with Welsh.
Walter was co-editor of McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists from 1979 to 2007. He continued to be actively involved in the book’s publication, initially as an editorial consultant and then as the author of the chapter on Northern Ireland.
Walter was honoured in 2010 at the NCTJ’s Journalism Skills Conference when he was presented with the Chairman’s award for his outstanding contribution to journalism training.
Bob Satchwell, executive director of the Society of Editors said: “To coin a cliché Walter was truly a legend in his own lifetime. Everyone who has had a proper training in journalism and – even those who haven’t – know his work even without registering his name.
“Essential Law for Journalists has been the Bible for several generations of journalists and many of them have been trained by him face-to-face.
“He was a gentle man with immense knowledge and experience that enabled him to pack a powerful punch. His fellowship of the Society of Editors was greeted with loud acclaim. We should celebrate his long life and him immense contribution to journalism and therefore public life generally.”
