Harry Gordon honoured with sport award

Of all the late Harry Gordon's many achievements in journalism, sport was probably his greatest love.

It was therefore a fitting memorial that an award be established in his honour to recognise the best of Australia's sports journalists, Melbourne Press Club chief executive officer Mark Baker said.

The newsman, who died aged 89 in January last year, was a renowned war correspondent, newspaper editor, sports writer, author and Olympic historian.

"Sports coverage was Harry's great love, I think, even though he had a very distinguished and wide-ranging career," Mr Baker said.

Mr Gordon's many positions included editor of The Sun in Melbourne, editor-in-chief of Queensland Newspapers and The Herald and Weekly Times and chairman of Australian Associated Press.

The winners of the inaugural Harry Gordon Australian Sports Journalist of the Year Award, the 40th annual Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award and the 2015 Quill Awards for excellence in Victorian journalism will be announced on March 18.

"I think what we're seeing year after year is the industry might be facing all sorts of challenges structurally and financially but the journalism that's being produced is of very high order," Mr Baker said.

FINALISTS FOR THE HARRY GORDON AWARD:

* Greg Baum (The Age)

* Will Swanton (The Australian)

* Michael Warner (The Herald Sun)

* Gerard Whateley (ABC/Fox Footy)

FINALISTS FOR THE GRAHAM PERKIN AWARD:

* Adele Ferguson (The Age)

* Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker (The Age/ABC Four Corners)

* Caro Meldrum-Hanna (ABC Four Corners)

* Paige Taylor and Michael McKenna (The Australian).