He’s reported from missile strike sites, frontlines, and some of the most volatile corners of the world, but for Trey Yingst, the story is never just about the war. It’s about the people living through it.
Finding humanity amid chaos
At 31, Fox News’ chief foreign correspondent has witnessed scenes that could break anyone’s spirit, from the devastation in southern Israel after the October 7 attacks to mass graves in Ukraine and morgues in Syria. Yet what lingers in his mind are flashes of human resilience: like a father chasing his giggling son through a Kyiv metro station as air raid sirens wailed above.
“With that in mind, I try hard to highlight humanity amid war, to encourage empathy from viewers and to educate our audience in a way that connects, rather than divides.” His photojournalism project, Experience Humans, captures these moments, from Tel Aviv protests to Syrian children with flags painted on their cheeks.
More than just the headlines
Yingst has covered Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Gaza, and Iran, but he doesn’t let the scale of geopolitics overshadow the individual. “Every society exists on a spectrum,” he explains. “These are humans.”
That focus extends to his social media, where he leans on TikTok, Instagram, X, and Facebook to reach younger audiences with real-time updates. He’s set a bold goal, 1 million TikTok followers by the end of summer, and keeps a yellow legal pad filled with TikTok content ideas beside his laptop.
Discipline under fire
Surviving the demands of war reporting means treating his body like an athlete’s. Even during Gaza coverage, he made time to train. “I go to the gym daily. Eat clean. Do ice plunges and cold showers. Runs and walks,” he says. One night, after two days straight of missile strike reporting, he hit the gym at midnight to burn off adrenaline.
His hotel room reflects that same disciplined focus — ten neatly folded black T-shirts (“I wear the same thing every day. A black T-shirt and jeans. Clean, focused, on-brand,” he says), a pair of jeans, his camera, a yellow legal pad, and three bags of Haribo gummy bears.
Shining a light
Yingst admits the work takes an emotional toll, but it’s also his calling. “This job is everything to me. I like having the ability to shine light in dark places and have a global audience feel empathy for the people I interview.”
In an age when a war correspondent must also think like a content creator, Trey Yingst is proving you can do both, without losing sight of the humanity at the heart of every story.