Entries open for 50th Perkin Award

Australia’s premier journalism award – the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of The Year Award – is turning 50. And entries are now open.  

Entries open for 31st Quill Awards

The Quill Awards are now open! And journalists can get a free entry and save money by becoming a member of the Melbourne Press Club.

2025-26 Michael Gordon Fellows announced

Pacific and Indigenous-focused projects have received funding from the Michael Gordon Journalism Fellowships in it's biggest year so far.

Journalists, lawyers and the defamation trial of the century

Peter Bartlett, Partner Emeritus at MinterEllison, discusses the relationship between journalists and media lawyers during the BRS defamation case.

Media Release: Melbourne Press Club announces new board members

Following the Melbourne Press Club’s Annual General Meeting today, the Club has welcomed five new board members.

[NOW CLOSED] Applications Open for the 2025/26 Michael Gordon Fellowships

The Melbourne Press Club is pleased to open applications for the 2025/26 Michael Gordon Fellowships program.

Notification of 2025 MPC Annual General Meeting and proposed amendment to rules

The Annual General Meeting of the Melbourne Press Club Inc will be held at 12.30pm on Wednesday 22 October 2025 at Thomson Geer Offices, Rialto South Tower, Level 23, 525 Collins Street, Melbourne.

'Trust must be earned and not assumed.' Lessons from IRE25

Trust, transparency and inspiration: these are just some of the lessons from the IRE conference for our Student Journalist of the Year, Brendan Kearns.

Reflections on the mushroom murders trial

It was 11 weeks in a country Victorian town. What happened behind the scenes for journalists covering the mushroom murder trial? We held an event to hear (off the record) all about it. Guardian Australia’s Justice and Courts reporter (and Press Club board member) Nino Bucci reflects on the experience.

'Compromise is your life raft'

In the wake of The Project's final show, its former executive producer Chris Bendall reflects on the challenges of making a nightly news and current affairs program.

Relive the 30th Quill Awards

The 30th Quill Awards Dinner brought state and national media together to celebrate the very best in journalism.

Gallery: 30th Quill Awards Dinner

Relive the 30th Quill Awards Dinner

Extract: Tracey Kirkland in Age of Doubt

An extract from new book 'Age of Doubt: Building Trust in a World of Misinformation'

49th Perkin Award – Finalists

Finalists have been announced for the 49th Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year.

Inaugural Jana Wendt Award – Finalists

Finalists have been announced for the inaugural Jana Wendt Award for International Reporting.

30th Quill Awards – Finalists

The MPC is pleased to announce the finalists for our 30th Quill Awards for Excellence in Victorian Journalism and the 2024 Victorian Student Journalist of the Year.

10th Gordon Award – Finalists

Finalists have been announced for the 10th Harry Gordon Australian Sports Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Champion Data.

Gordon Award celebrates 10 years with new sponsorship

The Australian Sports Journalist of the Year award, named after legendary editor and reporter Harry Gordon, has a new sponsor to celebrate its 10th year.

Media release: Quills now open, featuring new international reporting award

A new national award recognising the achievements of a pioneering female Australian journalist will be the centrepiece of the 30th anniversary Quill Awards celebration in March.

2024/25 Michael Gordon Fellows announced

Three social justice journalism projects will be undertaken in the coming year after the Melbourne Press Club announced the latest recipients of the Michael Gordon Journalism Fellowships.

Media Release: Melbourne Press Club announces new president and board members

Following the Melbourne Press Club’s Annual General Meeting today (23 October 2024), the Club has elected a new president and welcomed four new board members.

Digital Platforms and the Press

Associate Professor James Meese has a new book out called Digital Platforms and the Press, which explores the risks associated with a platform-dependent press. It’s free to read through open access.

Applications Open for the 2024/25 Michael Gordon Fellowships [NOW CLOSED]

The Melbourne Press Club is pleased to open applications for the 2024/25 Michael Gordon Fellowships program.

Program’s new cadet

The second cadet in the Regional Journalism Fellowship Program run by the Press Club, the Greater Shepparton Foundation and the McPherson Media Group, will start at The Shepparton News in two months.

Vale Sam Landsberger

There have been many words written and said about Melbourne sports journalist Sam Landsberger in the days after his tragic death. A recurring theme has been Sam's decency: he was a great human being, with the admirable knack of always being true to himself.

Notification of 2024 MPC Annual General Meeting

Welcome from our new Program Officer Freddie Moffat

A word from Freddie Moffat, who will be working on some upcoming MPC events and programs.

Linda Pearce wins 2023 Harry Gordon Sports Journalist of The Year Award

Linda’s compelling series on the failure of the Collingwood netball club revealed the dysfunction at the heart of the famous football club’s foray into women’s netball.

Neil Chenoweth and Edmund Tadros named 2023 Graham Perkin Australian Journalists of the Year

AFR journalists Neil Chenoweth and Edmund Tadros have been named the 2023 Graham Perkin Australian Journalists of the Year.

The Australian's John Ferguson wins the 29th Gold Quill

A scoop about the tragic consequences of a mushroom lunch in regional Victoria has won the prestigious Gold Quill at the Melbourne Press Club’s 29th Quill Awards for Excellence in Victorian Journalism.  

29th Quill Awards: Photos

See our photos from the 29th Quill Awards

29th Quill Awards – Finalists

The MPC is thrilled to announce the finalists for our 29th Quill Awards for Excellence in Victorian Journalism.

48th Perkin Award – Finalists

Finalists have been announced for the 48th Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year.

9th Gordon Award – Finalists

Finalists have been announced for the 9th Harry Gordon Australian Sports Journalist of the Year.

New journalism fellowship launches career for regional Victorian school leaver

The Melbourne Press Club is delighted to announce the first recipient of its Regional Journalism Fellowship Program, supported by the Brian M Davis Charitable Foundation.

Fellowship opportunity: making sense of society’s fault lines

Applications are now open for the Swinburne University of Technology-Melbourne Press Club ‘Beyond the Fault Lines’ Fellowship.

Steve Harris appointed Member of the Order of Australia

Former Melbourne Press Club president Steve Harris was awarded an AM in the Australia Day honours for his significant service to print journalism.

Melbourne Press Club – a brief review of a busy 2023

It’s been a bumper year at the Melbourne Press Club, built around our annual highlight, the Quill awards, which again saw more than 500 of Melbourne’s media industry celebrate the best of Victorian journalism.

Watch: How to write (good) and better with Andrew Rule

Earlier this year, one of the nation's best journalists, Andrew Rule distilled years of wisdom on How to write (good) and better.

29th Quill Awards entries open

The Quills are the premier media awards in Victoria, celebrating the best work in over 30 categories across all media.

Membership fee increase

For the first time since 2018, the Melbourne Press Club is increasing its annual membership fee.

2023/2024 Michael Gordon Fellows announced

Four new projects of social justice journalism will be undertaken in the coming year after the Melbourne Press Club announced the latest recipients of the Michael Gordon Journalism Fellowships.

Australia's secrecy laws include 875 offences. Reforms are welcome but don't go far enough for press

Peter Greste says it's laudable that the government recognises the threats to media freedom embedded in the law, but the answers in the review are more of the same: a set of band aids, rather than a comprehensive cure.

'I think we're just that local voice. That's something we do better than anyone else...'

You don’t need to be a long-term local in regional Victoria to understand the power of community journalism. In this story, Matthew Hall speaks to two young sports journalists at regional mastheads who have quickly learned how important it is to not only tell those stories, but to ensure every detail is correct.

Tips for getting a job in journalism

How to do you get a job in a journalism? Here are the tips on starting your career, from the guest panellists at this week’s Edit event.

What's good about the Ballarat Times?

By starting in the very job she trained for, Edwina Williams defied a trend for journalism graduates. In less than five years since, she has worked her way up to be the senior journalist at the Ballarat Times, a free community weekly serving her hometown.

'It’s about proximity to you, the reader'

The dilemma facing regional journalism is stark. Latest figures show that 101 print editions have closed nationally since 2019, these losses disproportionately impacting rural and regional coverage. But the stories Matthew Hall has unearthed paint an optimistic and nuanced picture, challenging the notion that there’s no career to be made outside the city.

'Take chances on style, medium and most of all, on people'

An excerpt from Hari Raj’s essay in the upcoming book ‘Journalism Matters: 50 Years of Journalism at RMIT’.

Applications open: Michael Gordon Journalism Fellowships

The Melbourne Press Club is pleased to announce applications are now open for the 2023-24 Michael Gordon Journalism Fellowships program.

The courts, the world cup and more – photos from our recent events

Relive recent Melbourne Press Club events with these galleries.

The World Cup and media coverage: time for all of us to play a role

In the aftermath of the extensive media coverage of the marvellous Matildas at the World Cup, athlete and sports broadcaster Nana Owusu-Afriyie pinpoints how the team’s stellar achievements have lifted the visibility of women’s sport in Australia. But after the World Cup party, what happens next? In this article, Nana argues that although the World Cup's impact has been positive, fans, athletes, and the media need to continue advocating for equal coverage of women’s sport.

Commercial radio turns 100

The Australian media observed a significant birthday this month – commercial radio turned 100, and the industry took a moment to look back on its integral role in helping to capture the sounds and voices of our nation, from covering news to advocating for local causes. Journalism has been central to commercial radio’s enduring appeal, acting as conduit between real-time news and its audience, providing the connections from cities to country that provide essential information to all our communities.

Fake News? Real News? Can you tell the difference? Take the test!

We know it’s out there. And we know there are those who consume fake news in the belief it's true. New research based on a Cambridge University test on spotting fake news shows that the age group in the US most susceptible to misinformation are those aged under 45. 

Melbourne then and now – Australia’s media capital

Could this MPC newsletter column from Nicholas Reece have played a part in changing ABC management's mind to stick with its local Sunday night bulletin?

Media Bargaining Code 2.0 – Canada follows us down the rocky road

Canada’s Online News Act has the country butting heads with search and social giants, and media bargaining trendsetter Australia could learn from the tweaks made to its playbook.

New appointments at MPC AGM

The Melbourne Press Club is pleased to announce the following board appointments from the AGM and subsequent board meeting held on 21June 2023.

How to view members only content on the MPC website

Full articles from our members' newsletter are hosted on our website. You must login to your MPC account to view some content.

'Always answer a newsroom phone'

Michelle Coffey, inaugural Young Journalist of the Year recipient, reflects on her career and the award after 30 years.

How the MPC Young Journalist of the Year Award came about

Former club president Jim Clarke looks back on the origins of the now-30 year old MPC Young Journalist of the Year award.

Vale Bruce Petty (1929 – 2023) – a cartoonist who drew the big picture

A conversation with Bruce Petty was an interesting encounter – it was full of considered pauses, a laconic wisdom and what seemed like a subterranean seam of irony that he mined every day of his remarkable professional life.