Former Times managing editor Giles dies

William E. Giles, a longtime newsman and former managing editor of The Washington Times, died of a heart attack Jan. 29 in London, Ky. He was 80.

Mr. Giles served from 1997 to 2002 as managing editor of The Times, where colleagues knew him as a gentleman and a true wordsmith with a knack for managing newspapers.

“Bill was the ultimate professional newspaperman, long on reporting, tight with words and always a teacher of bright, lively writing,” said Wesley Pruden, Washington Times editor emeritus and former editor in chief. “Bill taught young reporters with a kind and encouraging word.”

Mr. Giles was known for his informal, avuncular manner as he would stroll through the newsroom each afternoon drumming up conversation with staffers while offering treats from a bowl of candy.

His open-door policy encouraged reporters and aided his mentoring efforts with young staffers, executive administrative assistant Christine Reed said.

During his career, Mr. Giles traveled extensively and was one of the first American journalists allowed into communist China in 1976. He also met every U.S. president from 1952 to 2000.

Mr. Giles began his decadeslong career in the newspaper industry as editor of the Sampson News at the Sampson Naval Training Center in Geneva, N.Y., while he was on active duty.

He was honorably discharged in 1946 and got a position as a suburban correspondent for the Plainfield Courier-News in New Jersey.

Mr. Giles worked for 10 years at the Wall Street Journal as a reporter and news editor at the paper’s bureaus in New York, Dallas and the District.

In 1961, Mr. Giles became the first editor of the National Observer, published by Dow Jones & Co., and 10 years later was named director of management programs for the company.

While editor and vice president of the Detroit News in the late “70s and early “80s, Mr. Giles led the paper to a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 1982.

Mr. Giles was appointed in 1987 to the Manship Chair of Journalism at Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge, La., and served as director of the university’s journalism school for four years. He also taught journalism and public affairs at Southern University.

Times Deputy Managing Editor Ted Agres called Mr. Giles an “old-school” journalist who kept up with the news industry’s technological advancements and was able to hone the skills of young reporters.

“Bill Giles knew the value of the right word in a sentence,” said Francis B. Coombs Jr., former managing editor at The Times. “He was a craftsman that way. We all learned from that.”

Mr. Giles earned a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

Story Continues →