Segment 4: Orlando Sentinel: Reporter 'heavily counseled' for posting disparaging Facebook comment against award-winning journalist in antagonistic string initiated by Richard Feller, insider to County Chair Jeff Brower
By SERA KING / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dustin Wyatt, a relatively new reporter for the Orlando Sentinel posted a derogatory comment on a Facebook string against Headline Surfer Publisher Henry Frederick and then deleted it when he was confronted.
This ugly situation occurred two Saturdays ago, Aug. 20, to be precise.
Wyatt's disparaging Facebook comment to Frederick read: "To call this clown a journalist is an insult to actual journalists."
It was among 60 highly-charged personal attacks in a string in the Facebook political group, The VCC Page -Volusia County Concerns, initiated by New Smyrna Beach resident Richard Feller ridiculing and taunting Frederick in response to his media inquiries to more than $29,000 in IRS liens owed by Feller, and his alleged bullying of some of his nearby elderly neighbors and several business owners.
These allegations against Feller are supported by public records on file with the Volusia County Clerk of the Court and accessible from its website.
Feller's string attacked Frederick for a promo on Facebook pointing out Feller's IRS lien and other allegations against him to which Feller responded in part: "As long as people simply accept articles like this, our county will be overrun by bad politicians and fake news journalists."
Frederick confronted Wyatt in a response demanding the removal of the unwarranted posting and an apology in writing or he would contact his employer first thing that Monday Morning. Wyatt immediately blocked Frederick.
A search of Wyatt's offensive comment in the Feller string by this reporter showed it had been deleted.
Feller's string was eventually removed by an administrator with Volusia County Concerns.
Feller was appointed to a county advisory board on planning by Brower and his council colleagues a year ago without any checking off Feller's past, including the IRS lien.
Feller has posted attack posts on various Facebook groups attacking critics of Brower's "Volusia Values" candidates for office on the council in 2022, including Doug Pettit for the at-large council seat.
Two days after the primary, Pettit who finished a distant second to Jake Johansson by more than 11,200 votes in the race for the At-Large seat on the Volusia County Council among four candidates in the Aug. 23 primary, blocked Frederick two days later after he inquired about the primary results and other issues related to the campaign," but not before Pettit took a parting shot, stating in part, "To label you a reporter is an insult to what few reporters we have left in the media."
The day before the primary, Frederick, true to his word, called the Orlando Sentinel at 9:30 a.m Monday, Aug. 22, with the first of three voice mail messages throughout the day for four senior newsroom executives -- Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson, Managing Editor Roger Simmons, Content Director for Business/Politics Mark Skoneki, and Content Director for News Jeff Weiner -- about the weekend incident with Wyatt.
Frederick wanted to give Central Florida's daily metro newspaper a chance to respond before Headline decided whether to write a story on Wyatt's unprovoked attack or just let it go.
After sitting on it for eight days, Frederick and his colleagues decided to proceed with a story on the mantra "the public has the right to know."
But hearing back from the Sentinel was the first step before deciding what direction to go in.
Frederick received a callback at 7:30 p.m. that Monday, Aug. 22nd, from Skoneki saying Wyatt acknowledged making the disparaging Facebook comment, that he regretted what he had done and deleted it.
"He was heavily counseled on this and you won't ever hear from him again," Skoneki said.
The phone conversation was very brief - about 5 minutes and very terse, Frederick said, adding Skonecki begged off the call saying he felt the matter had been addressed and he had a busy news night ahead preparing the next day's primary elections coverage.
What particularly bothered Frederick was the Sentinel not making the time to hear why the metro newspaper reporter's comment was so damning and hurtful on a public Facebook political group with 3,200 members and easily visible to countless on the eve of a politically-charged primary in Volusia County.
"Words matter," Frederick said, especially coming from a reporter employed by the Orlando Sentinel, by far the largest newspaper in Central Florida and among the largest statewide.
Frederick said he was "stunned by the recklessness shown by Wyatt in the Richard Feller string that was filled with vitriol and contempt," including this despicable comment by Daytona Beach resident Lee Smits, a flagman at smaller racing venues at Daytona International Speedway:
"That's what happens when you get your master's degree from that powerhouse of learning Full Sail University," wrote Smits, who works as a manager of a local O'Reilly Auro Parts Store, adding, "And the only heavy lifting this clown has done lately is lifting his gut so he can take a piss!"
Frederick said he was "stunned by Wyatt in a string that was filled with vitriol, vulgarity and contempt," including this despicable comment by Daytona Beach resident Lee Smits, a flagman at smaller racing venues held periodically at Daytona International Speedway.
"That's what happens when you get your master's degree from that powerhouse of learning Full Sail University," wrote Smits, who works as a manager of a local O'Reilly Auro Parts Store, adding, "And the only heavy lifting this clown has done lately is lifting his gut so he can take a piss!"
Frank Bruno, Volusia County's first elected county chair who retired back in 2012, praised Frederick after learning Headline Surfer would end up p[ublidhing a story on the Sentinel reporter and others with attack posts and cheap shots on social media.
"Good for (him) to take a stand," Bruno said. "These Facebook attacks are getting ridiculous, especially with what's going on in county politics right now. Bruno encouraged Frederick and Headline Surfer to "stay the course in getting out the facts."
About the Byline Writer: Sera King is associate publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet in Lake Mary, FL serving greater Orlando, Sanford, and Daytona Beach via HeadlineSurfer.com since 2008. She's also a bylined writer (business, community & sports features), a videographer, and a cartoonist for the media outlet. King received her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the Metro Orlando Campus of Ana G. Mendez University in 2008. Headline Surfer is published by Henry Frederick, Central Florida's award-winning journalist. • Henry Frederick big winner in 2021 Florida journalism contest with 6 first-place stories: Joel Greenberg's guilty plea in federal court, Sanford firefighter's arrest in Jan 6 insurrection, upstart winner in Daytona 500 & more.