Elsa Walsh is an American journalist and author. In 1989 she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and she released her book Divided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of 3 Accomplished Women in 1995. Walsh has worked for both The Washington Post and The New Yorker.

Elsa Walsh
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Occupation(s)Journalist, author
Notable workDivided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of 3 Accomplished Women
Spouse
(m. 1989)
Children1

Early life

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Elsa Walsh grew up in an Irish-Catholic family with five siblings.[1] She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa,[2] and began her career as a journalist in 1980.[3]

Career

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Walsh has worked as a staff reporter for The Washington Post.[3] In 1989 she and her fellow reporter Benjamin Weiser were finalists for the Pulitzer prize for their 1988 "series about how court secrecy procedures have created a system of private justice within the public courts," according to the prize committee.[4] The four-article series investigated the role of judges in hiding important safety information from the public through approving confidentiality agreements and sealing court records.[5]

External videos
  Booknotes interview with Walsh on Divided Lives, September 17, 1995, C-SPAN

In 1995 she published her book Divided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of 3 Accomplished Women, in which she interviewed three women regarding their "experiences juggling marriage and a career". The women interviewed for the book were 60 Minutes reporter Meredith Vieira, orchestra conductor Rachael Worby, and breast surgeon Alison Estabrook; Walsh also interviewed members of the women's families as well as their work peers.[3] She later became a staff writer for The New Yorker,[6][7] where her work included political reporting in the US[8] as well as profiles on figures such as Saudi Prince Bandar,[9] Ted Kennedy, Tipper Gore,[10] and Harry Reid.[11] She has also appeared on political talk shows such as Hardball with Chris Matthews.[12] Walsh is also an editor on the books of Bob Woodward, her husband.[13]

Personal life

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Walsh is married to The Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward.[3] The two met at the Post, and wed in 1989.[2] The two of them were featured in the 2020 book What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life by Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas.[14] Walsh has also appeared on the television series Barefoot Contessa, as a guide to host Ina Garten on a trip to Washington DC.[15] Walsh has one daughter with Woodward, Diana, and a stepdaughter, Tali.[16]

References

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  1. ^ REIMER, SUSAN (3 September 1995). "A singular woman prepares to divide her life with a child". baltimoresun.com.
  2. ^ a b Mills, Hilary. "Woodward and . . . Walsh | Vanity Fair | August 1995". Vanity Fair | The Complete Archive.
  3. ^ a b c d "COMMITMENTS : Juggling It All : Between Career and Family Demands, Even Beneficiaries of the Women's Movement AreStruggling--So Says Elsa Walsh's New Book". Los Angeles Times. October 2, 1995.
  4. ^ "Finalist: Elsa Walsh and Benjamin Weiser of The Washington Post". www.pulitzer.org.
  5. ^ Fox, Steve (June 7, 1992). Toxic Work: Women Workers at GTE Lenkurt. Temple University Press. ISBN 9780877228950 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "From Sun Magazine: Woodward/Walsh house tour". baltimoresun.com. 18 July 2011.
  7. ^ Walsh, Elsa (April 18, 2013). "Why women should embrace a 'good enough' life" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  8. ^ "Khobar Towers Was a Glaring Failure of a Democratic President". National Review. August 28, 2008.
  9. ^ Powers, William (May 1, 2003). "The Call of the Skunk". The Atlantic.
  10. ^ Service, DON O'BRIANT Cox News (4 March 2000). "NEWSSTAND\ NEW MAGAZINES VIE FOR YOUNG CROWD". Greensboro News and Record.
  11. ^ "The Humble Beginnings of Sen. Harry Reid : NPR". NPR.
  12. ^ "'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for August 4". NBC News. 5 August 2005.
  13. ^ "Woodward says CNN reporter urged him to release Trump tapes". AP NEWS. September 22, 2020.
  14. ^ Kogan, Rick (27 May 2020). "Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas have compiled the stories of dozens of other couples for 'What Makes a Marriage Last'". chicagotribune.com.
  15. ^ "Ina Garten Visits the Nation's Capital and the White House in a Special Barefoot in Washington". Food Network.
  16. ^ Cheryl Lavin (November 14, 1999). "BOB WOODWARD". Chicago Tribune.
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