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It's so weird how US mass media refuses to name/identify some offenders but identifies some offenders by their identities.

If some black youth engage in gunplay the headlines read "5 Chicagoans gunned down", if some Chinese scam an Apple store it's "Oregon Students defraud apple store", if a Somali joins ISIS the story goes to press as "Minneapolis Man joins ISIS" or "Another person from Rep. Omar's district joins ISIS".

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But, how local should we get with descriptors? If the issue is about corporate espionage, then the culprit's nationality might be very relevant. However, I'm not sure focusing on ethnicity adds much in your first example. As a counterpoint, when someone ODs in West Virginia, should we report: white, middle-aged person dies of overdose? Another example: white male CEO commits fraud.

I think any level of descriptiveness is fine as long as it's consistent.

If a Chinese thief is an "Oregon Student" then I want a Chinese surgeon who saves lives to be an "Oregon surgeon".

Welcome to 24-hour profit-driven journalism, you won't enjoy your stay...

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