Journalist brought passion and fun to work
Mariah Carey’s superfan brightened every room
Dustin Barnes, a Mississippi-raised journalist who became a USA TODAY trending editor, was found dead Wednesday at his home in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 38.
Barnes had been recovering from a heart attack and was discovered by co-workers who went to check on him, according to his mother, Sheila Barnes.
Current and former co-workers grieving his death Wednesday said Barnes was a razor-sharp editor and a life-affirming force of humor and positivity.
“Dustin made an immediate impact at The Tennessean, not only as a skilled journalist but one of those people who lights up every room they step into,” said Michael Anastasi, The Tennessean’s top editor. “His effervescence made every team he was a member of that much better, and fun. His passion to serve his community, and to be an extraordinary teammate, was evident every day.”
Holly Moore, director of NOW teams and planning at USA TODAY, said he brought smiles to everyone he worked with. “Dustin was a bright spot,” she said, calling the world “dimmer without him.”
Barnes grew up in the small northern Mississippi towns of Chalybeate and Kossuth, writing poetry as a child and dreaming of becoming a journalist, his mother said. He joined Gannett as a reporter at the Clarion-Ledger in Mississippi in 2009 and later was a digital strategist at The Tennessean in Nashville.
Madalyn Hoerr, a USA TODAY Network regional planning editor and friend, said Barnes “inspired creativity, challenged the norm and made you want to be a better person.”
Barnes was known for his humor and playfulness. “When he came to the house, we took turns trying to scare each other,” his mother said. With his father, Harold, he watched Godzilla and Star Trek movies.
“Dustin was also Mariah Carey’s No. 1 fan,” his mother said. Online, Barnes promoted “Singles Awareness Day” around Valentine’s Day, she recalled, laughing.
Last year, Barnes joined USA TODAY, becoming one of the first hires for the Universal NOW team covering trending news.
“His love for Mariah Carey was big. His love for hilarious TikToks was big. His love for people was big. His love for journalism was big,” said Ashley May, a Universal NOW editor. “As an editor, he preached diversity and AP style. He was dedicated to accurate and inclusive stories. He was also known for hopping on video calls to ... encourage (reporters) and reassure them they were doing a good job.”
One of his passion projects was creating a newsletter of good-news stories. When his mother told him some people thought there was too much bad news, he told her about the newspaper’s human interest stories.
Several days ago, Barnes posted on Facebook about his health scare.
“Last Friday night I went to the ER with pains. It was a heart attack. Yes, I’m super young. Yes, I still had a heart attack,” he wrote. “A week out from the big scare, and things are so much better. I’m good. I’ll be fine. You’re all stuck with me for a long time.”