The Mayor of a major Florida city has declared “journalism is dead.” In an ironic stroke, the declaration came after the final words of a man executed for murder were reported.
Donald Dillbeck, 59, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. after receiving a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. He had been convicted in the murder of Faye Vann, 44, in Tallahassee near the state Capitol.
Dillbeck was sentenced to death 32 years ago, but his last words while strapped to a gurney in the death chamber didn’t reflect most of that confinement. Rather, they addressed Florida’s Governor.
“I know I hurt people when I was young. I really messed up. But I know Ron DeSantis has done a lot worse. He’s taken a lot from a lot of people. I speak for all men, women and children. He’s put his foot on our necks.”
Reporter Kathryn Varn reported the murderer’s final sentiments, which is notable given the unexpected nature of a condemned killer attempting social commentary in his last moments on earth. But for Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, that simple act of journalism crossed the line.
“This is the USA TODAY. Journalism is dead in big legacy media organizations. They all sing from the same hymn book,” Curry commented.
Varn’s response was simple.
“I was doing my job, Mayor Curry.”
Vann’s children, Tony and Laura, released a statement after the execution: “11,932 days ago, Donald Dillbeck brutally killed our Mother. We were robbed of years of memories with her, and it has been very painful ever since.”
They thanked DeSantis for carrying out the execution, saying it “has given us some closure.”
Veteran journalists backed Varn in the replies.
“Covering an execution is one of the hardest jobs we have as reporters. We’re there to bear witness and report the last words of the executed, whatever they say,” asserted Jeff Schweers of the Orlando Sentinel.
“Consider his replies being turned off your badge of honor,” said Tia Mitchell, who reported in Jacksonville for many years before moving on to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and national prominence.
“How dare you straightforwardly report a thing that happened,” snarked Nate Monroe of the Florida Times-Union, arguably the leading political columnist in the state.
“This is an incredibly disappointing comment for various reasons, starting with the apparent rage over the objective reporting of an actual thing that happened, but also continuing a general theme of 8 years in office but no growth,” Monroe added in a quote tweet, also noting that a “hymn book” is a “hymnal.”
The execution was Florida’s first in nearly four years and the third under DeSantis. By comparison, his immediate predecessor, current U.S. Republican Sen. Rick Scott, oversaw 28 executions.
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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