About John @johnyangtv
John Yang is a correspondent for the PBS NewsHour. He covered the first year of the Trump administration and is currently reporting on major national issues from Washington, DC, and across the country.
Previously, Yang was a Chicago-based correspondent for NBC News, reporting for NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Today, and MSNBC. Yang was part of an NBC team that reported on “In Plain Sight: Poverty in America,” a 2013 George Foster Peabody Award recipient, and his reporting in April 2011 on tornado devastation in Alabama was included in an NBC Nightly News broadcast that received an Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast.
Prior to joining NBC, Yang worked for ABC News, based in Washington, where he was weekend White House correspondent, and in Jerusalem, where he served as Middle East correspondent.
Yang has been part of teams that have been honored with an Emmy, two Peabody Awards and to Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Awards.
Yang’s career also includes time at The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, TIME, and The Boston Globe. He is a cum laude graduate of Wesleyan University.
John’s Recent Stories
Arts Jul 11
How the writer behind the comic strip ‘Baldo’ blends humor with humanityA newspaper’s comics section often provides a lighthearted escape from serious frontpage headlines. But comic writer Hector Cantú feels a duty to reflect reality in his "Baldo” series, which debuted in 2000. The only nationally syndicated comic strip about a…
World Jul 03
How violent political instability in Libya exacerbates migrants’ ‘living hell’An airstrike on a migrant detention center in Libya has left at least 44 dead. The Libyan government blamed the so-called Libyan National Army, a group trying to seize Tripoli, for the deadly attack. John Yang reports and talks to…
Arts Jul 03
How Brian Fies used art to process a devastating wildfireFor award-winning writer and cartoonist Brian Fies, life will forever be divided into before and after October 9, 2017 -- the date Northern California’s devastating Tubbs Fire devoured his home. In its aftermath, Fies felt compelled to process the trauma…
Nation Jun 24
Why the Stonewall Riots represented a ‘sea change’ for LGBTQ rightsOn a June night in 1969, patrons of a New York City gay bar called the Stonewall Inn battled with police and set in motion the modern movement for gay rights. Fifty years later, the milestone anniversary of the event…
World Jun 13
How this Palestinian music festival is breaking down cultural barriersTypically, the Palestinian West Bank is referenced in the context of Middle East peace talks. But for the past three years, the organizers of the three-day Palestine Music Expo, or PMX, have sought to encourage people to open their minds,…
Science May 22
How mental health checks may help restaurant workers temper destructive stressAfter a series of high-profile suicides last year, one restaurant owner in Sacramento, California, decided to confront a problem plaguing kitchens around the country. The fast-paced, high-pressure environment and often low wages can take its toll on workers' mental health.
World Apr 10
What ‘total victory for Netanyahu’ means for Israel and beyondNear final results in Israel’s elections show both the parties of Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponent, Benny Gantz, winning 35 seats in the national legislature, called the Knesset. But minor parties aligned with Netanyahu’s Likud give that party a majority.
Nation Jan 15
Shutdown takes a bite out of business in South FloridaThe gates are open at the Everglades National Park, but with no one to collect entry fees, business is drying up. The partial government shutdown couldn't come at a worse time for the region, which depends on tourists and is…
Nation Dec 27
Reducing infant mortality starts with listening to women in this cityThe U.S. ranks near the bottom of the world's wealthiest nations in infant mortality, and the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, has one of the highest rates in the nation. But a coordinated effort is trying to change that by counseling…
Science Dec 12
To save its future, will this Md. town have to destroy its historic business district?Climate change has profoundly affected Ellicott City, Maryland. The mill town, located where multiple waterways converge, was devastated by a flood earlier this year, after already suffering a deadly deluge in 2016. John Yang and a team from the University…
