A media law guru who co-edited McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists for 30 years has been presented with an award by the National Council for the Training of Journalists.

Walter Greenwood, left, was given the NCTJ Chairman’s Award by Kim Fletcher at the Journalism Skills Conference in Cardiff – although he was unable to pick up his prize in person because of heavy snow.

He is one of the longest-serving contributors to the work of the NCTJ, spending his first term on a North East regional committee in the 1960s and remaining involved with the training body since them.

Along with his award, Walter received an overnight stay for two people at the Brooklands Hotel in Weybridge, Surrey.

Paying tribute to his work, Kim told the conference: “With modesty unusual in such a legendary industry figure, Walter remains hugely popular and treasured by all those involved closely in the NCTJ, journalism training and the industry.

“I hope you will agree he is a worthy recipient of the 2010 NCTJ Chairman’s Award.”

Walter was chairman of the NCTJ media law board in the 1970s and was persuaded to take up the role for a second term from 2004 to 2006.

He spent most of his career working for Thomson Regional Newspapers and Trinity Mirror and as a law training consultant for Press Association Training.

Walter was an assistant editor at Thomson Regional Newspapers when he began co-editing McNae’s with Tom Welsh, which he remained doing for 30 years.