This is a list of atheist authors. Mentioned in this list are people whose atheism is relevant to their notable activities or public life, and who have publicly identified themselves as atheists.
Journalists
Professional journalists, known to be atheists:
A–L
- David Aaronovitch (born 1954): British journalist, author and broadcaster.[309][310]
- Amy Alkon (born 1964): American advice columnist known as the Advice Goddess, author of Ask the Advice Goddess, published in more than 100 newspapers within North America.[311]
- Lynn Barber (born 1944): British journalist, best known as an interviewer.[312]
- Paul Barker (1935–2019): English journalist and writer.[313]
- Richard Boston (1938–2006): English journalist and author, dissenter and pacifist.[314]
- Anna Blundy (born 1970): British journalist and author.[315]
- Jason Burke (born 1970): British journalist, chief foreign correspondent of The Observer.[316]
- Chandler Burr (born 1963): American journalist and author, currently the perfume critic for The New York Times.[317]
- Michael Bywater (born 1953): British writer and broadcaster.[318]
- Nick Cohen (born 1961): British journalist, author, and political commentator.[319]
- Boris Dežulović (1964–): Croatian journalist, writer and columnist, best known as one of the founders of the now defunct satirical magazine Feral Tribune.
- John Diamond (1953–2001): British broadcaster and journalist, remembered for his column chronicling his fight with cancer.[320][321]
- Robert Fisk (1946–2020): British journalist, Middle East correspondent for The Independent, "probably the most famous foreign correspondent in Britain" according to The New York Times.[322]
- Paul Foot (1937–2004): British investigative journalist, political campaigner, author, and long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party.[323]
- Masha Gessen (born 1967): Russian journalist and author.[324]
- Linda Grant (born 1951): British journalist and novelist.[325]
- Muriel Gray (born 1958): Scottish journalist, novelist and broadcaster.[326]
- John Harris (born 1969): British journalist, writer, and critic.[327]
- Simon Heffer (born 1960): British journalist and writer.[328]
- Anthony Holden (born 1947): British journalist, broadcaster and writer, especially of biographies.[329]
- Mick Hume (born 1959): British journalist – columnist for The (London) Times and editor of Spiked. Described himself as "a longstanding atheist", but criticised the 'New Atheism' of Richard Dawkins and co.[330]
- Tom Humphries (born before 2002): English-born Irish sportswriter and columnist for The Irish Times.[331]
- Simon Jenkins (born 1943): British journalist, newspaper editor, and author. A former editor of The Times newspaper, he received a knighthood for services to journalism in the 2004 New Year honours.[332]
- Oliver Kamm (born 1963): British writer and newspaper columnist, a leader writer for The Times.[333]
- Terry Lane (born 1943): Australian radio broadcaster and newspaper columnist.[334]
- Dominic Lawson (born 1956): British journalist, former editor of The Spectator magazine.[335]
- Magnus Linklater (born 1942): Scottish journalist and former newspaper editor.[336]
M–Z
- Padraic McGuinness AO (1938–2008): Australian journalist, activist, and commentator.[337]
- Gareth McLean (born c.1975): Scottish journalist, writer for The Guardian and Radio Times, shortlisted for the Young Journalist of the Year Award at the British Press Awards in 1997 and 1998.[338]
- Heather Mallick (born 1959): Canadian columnist, author and lecturer.[339]
- Andrew Marr (born 1959): Scottish journalist and political commentator.[340]
- Jules Marshall (born 1962): English-born journalist and editor.[341]
- Jonathan Meades (born 1947): English writer and broadcaster on food, architecture and culture.[342]
- H. L. Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956): American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, critic of American life and culture, and a scholar of American English. As a nationally syndicated columnist and book author, he famously spoke out against Christian Science, social stigma, fakery, Christian radicalism, religious belief (and as a fervent nonbeliever the very notion of a Deity), osteopathy, antievolutionism, chiropractic, and the "Booboisie", his word for the ignorant middle classes.
- Stephanie Merritt (born 1974): British critic and feature writer for a range of newspapers, Deputy Literary Editor at The Observer since 1998.[343]
- Martin O'Hagan (1950–2001): Northern Irish journalist, the most prominent journalist to be assassinated during the Troubles.[344]
- Deborah Orr (1962–2019): British journalist and broadcaster.[345]
- Ruth Picardie (1964–1997): British journalist and editor, noted for her memoir of living with breast cancer, Before I Say Goodbye.[346]
- Claire Rayner OBE (1931–2010): British journalist best known for her role for many years as an agony aunt.[347]
- Jay Rayner (born 1966): British journalist, writer and broadcaster.[348]
- Ron Reagan (born 1958): American magazine journalist, board member of the politically activist Creative Coalition, son of former U. S. President Ronald Reagan.[349]
- Henric Sanielevici (1875–1951): Romanian journalist and literary critic, also remembered for his work in anthropology, ethnography, sociology and zoology.[350][351]
- Ariane Sherine (born 1980): British comedy writer, journalist and creator of the Atheist Bus Campaign.[352]
- Jill Singer (1957–2017): Australian journalist, columnist and television presenter.[353]
- Matt Taibbi (born 1970): American journalist and political writer, currently working at Rolling Stone (note: he calls himself an agnostic/atheist).[354]
- Jeffrey Tayler (born 1970): American author and journalist, the Russia correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly.[355]
- Nicholas Tomalin (1931–1973): British journalist and writer, one of the top 40 journalists of the modern era.[356]
- Bill Thompson (born 1960): English technology writer, best known for his weekly column in the Technology section of BBC News Online and his appearances on Digital Planet, a radio show on the BBC World Service.[357]
- Jerzy Urban (born 1933): Polish journalist, commentator, writer and politician, editor-in-chief of the weekly Nie and owner of the company which owns it, Urma.[358]
- Gene Weingarten (born 1951): American humor writer and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.[359]
- Francis Wheen (born 1957): British journalist, writer and broadcaster.[360]
- Peter Wilby (born 1944): British journalist, former editor of The Independent on Sunday and New Statesman.[361]
- Adrian Wooldridge (born before 1984): British journalist, Washington Bureau Chief and 'Lexington' columnist for The Economist magazine.[362]