KILLEEN, Texas, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Investigators searched for the motive on Friday behind a mass shooting at a sprawling U.S. Army base in Texas, in which an Army psychiatrist trained to treat war wounded is suspected of killing 13 people.

The suspected gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim born in the United States of immigrant parents, was shot four times by police, a base spokesman said. He was unconscious but in stable condition.

I was wondering why, in the article about the suspect in the Fort Hood shooting, he was identified as, “Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim born in the United States” and the article about the Orlando gunman did NOT identify his religion?

I think this type of reporting perpetuates negative, stereotypes that label people inappropriately, there are plenty of murderers of all religions that are not immediately identified with a specific religion in the headline news. In fact, their religion is usually NOT used as an identifier.

Old Crabber

It is our policy not to use race, religion, etc. in a story unless it is relevant to the events. In this case, our story said the gunman had yelled “Allahu Akbar” — Arabic for “God is Greatest” — just before the shooting, which in my mind justifies mentioning his religion.

Further, the story also quoted the man’s cousin as saying he had complained, as a Muslim, of harassment by fellow soldiers, another detail which makes religion a relevant detail: GBU Editor

Major Nidal Malik Hasan. REUTERS/Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences/Handout

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SEIBERSDORF, Austria (Reuters) - A hotchpotch set of grey and white buildings huddled in fields outside Vienna may seem an unlikely setting for a laboratory which could help uncover illicit nuclear activity.

Please tell your writer it’s “hodgepodge” not “hotchpotch”

R.W.

Actually, it can be either, although hodgepodge is more common here in the United States: GBU Editor

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson listens to a question from the audience as he speaks at the Treasury Department in Washington March 31, 2008. Paulson revealed sweeping new plans on Monday for streamlining a hodgepodge of regulation faulted for permitting the U.S. mortgage crisis to balloon into a full-blown economic threat. REUTERS/Jason Reed

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KILLEEN, Texas, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The suspect in a shooting rampage at Ford Hood Army post on Thursday in which 12 people were killed and 31 wounded is in a hospital in stable condition, contrary to previous reports he had been killed, an Army general said.

Shooting at “Ford Hood”? I believe the Army uses the alternate spelling, F-o-r-t. This was a featured link on Google News highlights so I am sure lots of people saw it.

I had to look three times to make sure it wasn’t a joke on purpose. You know, hood possibly being an automobile component and Ford being an auto manufacturer just made it funny to me.

J.B.

Ouch. Not a great week for headline editing, if you look at the two items before this one as well. Yes, this one did get noticed: GBU Editor

Major Nidal Malik Hasan. REUTERS/Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences/Handout

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I am sure someone has made you aware of this ERROR…. The word you want is BUY.

Kelly

Yes. Readers did, as you say, make us aware of this one: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo Robert Galbraith

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OTTAWA, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Canada took a step on Wednesday to scrapping a controversial gun registry, though rules will still remain much tougher than in the United States.

It’s Canada’s long-GUN registry, not “run.”

Tim

Indeed: GBU Editor

Ziad Richa, a Lebanese marksman, takes aim during practice at a club in Dbayeh area, east of Beirut, July 26, 2008. REUTERS/Cynthia karam

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Seriously, Phyllis manager? Who is doing your editing, are you outsourcing it to some third world country?

It should read Phillies……the mispelling of words and misused phrases in sentences or just sentences that do not make sense seems to be an ever increasing problem here and on other sites…..keep the work in this country please

Nik

It’s Phillies!!! Wow, who let that one get by???

Opus

What kind of headline is this? ” FIX THE HEADLINE!

WXCBS

Lots of readers noticed this error, which was introduced in an online news feed. Understandably. We corrected: GBU Editor

In a nearby stationary store, Thora Sigurdardottir, a 35-year old nursing assistant, said she had no intention of going for a final McDonald’s meal.

In your article “Thousands line up for last Big Mac in Iceland,” the word should be “stationery” not “stationary,” unless it is important that the store remains still?

S.Z.

You’re right, of course: GBU Editor

A McDonald’s in Arlington, Va. REUTERS/Jim Young

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I must strongly protest your caption on the photo of protesters outside the White House. Using the verb “taunt” with “local school children” as its object is inaccurate, pejorative and unwarranted.

Who is paying you to run such captions?

L.S.

Nobody is paying us to “run such captions.” Our photographer says the protesters said things to challenge and confront the children and their parents. For example, one protester dressed as a Wicked Witch was saying things like, “More pretties to die in my war! More pretties!”

He said they were not just protesting the war in general but were, in effect, telling these families that their children were going to die at war. That sounds pretty much like taunting to me: GBU Editor

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The head of the local Roman Catholic archdiocese issued a statement on Monday urging the faithful to disregard the forecasts by Dublin-based “spiritual healer” Joe Coleman that Mary, worshipped by Christians as the mother of God, would reappear.

Your report on Knock shrine in Ireland states that Catholics worship the Virgin Mary. This is incorrect.  Catholics venerate Mary , which is completely different than worship.

Thomas W.

Mary is never worshipped. She is a creature like us. Worship is only given to God. We do honor her, though, as the Mother of God.

Gill

Several readers pointed out this one. We corrected: GBU Editor

A woman lights a candle in front of a shadow of the Virgin Mary in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin in a 2007 file photo. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

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Seriously, even on Halloween, one should have the option on clicking on something that makes it obvious that something gruesome follows.

It makes me question your judgment in general…I may change your site from being my home page. I can guarantee I won’t be going back to your page today.

C.J.V.

Yours was the only complaint I saw regarding this photo. As the photo caption made clear, it was a man in makeup - not “a man with his flesh eaten away…”

Happy Halloween! GBU Editor

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