Applications are now open for the 2019 Michael Gordon Journalism Fellowships with $30,000 in grants available for social justice journalism.

The national fellowship program, now in its second year, honours Michael Gordon, the much loved and widely respected former political editor of The Age who died suddenly in February 2018.

To encourage and enable the kind of journalism he exemplified, the fellowships fund reporting projects in areas such as Indigenous affairs, migration policy, human rights and Third World development.

Supporters of the program include the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, the National Press Club, Nine, the ABC, Grant Rule and Sophie Oh and the Ray & Margaret Wilson Foundation.

The fellowships are open to journalists employed by mainstream media organisations, established freelancers and accomplished university journalism students. Grants cover costs such as labour, travel, accommodation and associated expenses.

They are administered and promoted by the MPC and awarded by an independent panel appointed by the club and the Gordon family.

MPC chief executive Mark Baker said the Club was proud to host a program enabling important journalism at a time when many journalists and media organisations are struggling with funding. 

“The 2018 Gordon fellows produced some outstanding journalism in all media and we look forward to replicating that success this year,” he said.

“Michael Gordon was a fearless and compassionate journalist whose reporting on social justice issues made a real difference to our understanding in areas such as Indigenous affairs and migration policy. We are proud to be able to uphold his legacy through this program.”