Margot Adler (born April 16, 1946 — died July 28, 2014) was an American author, independent journalist and broadcaster who became widely known for combining professional reporting with first‑hand engagement in contemporary religious movements. She served for many years as a New York correspondent for National Public Radio and also worked as a lecturer and public speaker. Adler identified as a Wiccan and acted within that community as a priestess, a role she balanced with her public journalism.

Career and writings

Adler built a dual reputation: on the one hand a respected radio journalist covering politics, culture and social issues for a national audience; on the other hand an accessible chronicler of the rising Neo‑Pagan movement in the United States. She authored several books that examined spiritual practice and cultural trends, and she reported on topics ranging from constitutional questions to community life in New York and beyond. Her work is often cited for bringing greater public awareness and context to groups that had previously received little mainstream attention.

Contributions to Pagan studies

Adler’s best‑known contribution was a longform, narrative study of modern Paganism in America that treated practitioners, traditions and organizations with sympathetic reporting and scholarly concern. Rather than presenting advocacy or polemic, her writing sought to explain beliefs and practices to a broad readership and to document a religious revival in late 20th‑century America. As a practitioner who also reported on the movement, she occupied a distinctive position between participant and observer.

Notable subjects and works

  • Books and essays that explored spiritual practice, community, and personal faith.
  • Radio reporting on New York regional affairs, political developments, culture and science.
  • Public lectures and interviews that explained contemporary Pagan traditions to general audiences.

Death and legacy

Adler died in her New York City home at age 68 from endometrial cancer. Her passing prompted remembrances from colleagues in public radio and from many people in the spiritual communities she documented. She is remembered for bridging journalism and religious literacy, for encouraging respectful public conversation about minority faiths, and for producing work that remains a starting point for readers seeking to understand modern Paganism in the United States.