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Media outlets issue corrections for using 'wrong' pronouns in coverage of Minneapolis church shooter

By Ian M. Giatti, Christian Post Reporter
People visit a growing memorial outside of Annunciation Catholic Church on Aug. 29, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On Aug. 27 a gunman fired through the stained-glass windows of the church while students were sitting in pews during a Catholic school Mass, killing two children and injuring at least 17 others. The gunman reportedly died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police.
People visit a growing memorial outside of Annunciation Catholic Church on Aug. 29, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On Aug. 27 a gunman fired through the stained-glass windows of the church while students were sitting in pews during a Catholic school Mass, killing two children and injuring at least 17 others. The gunman reportedly died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police. | Scott Olson/Getty Images

NBC News

NBC News issued a correction on Aug. 29 after initially using what it called the "wrong" pronouns in an article about Westman. The correction notice, added to an article credited to four NBC reporters, stated: "A previous version of this article used the wrong pronoun for the shooter. She used female pronouns."

The original article had referred to Westman, who identified as a transgender woman, with male pronouns. 

In its earlier coverage of the shooting, NBC News identified Westman as a "gunman" and used the pronouns "they," even after Patel said Westman was a male.

"The shooter has been identified as Robin Westman, 23," wrote NBC News senior breaking news reporter Doha Madani. "FBI Director Kash Patel identified them as a male. Documents requesting a name change for Westman say they identified as a female."

NBC News' correction drew the ire of Christian conservative activist Tony Perkins, president of the Washington-based Family Research Council. 

"NBC apologizes for mistakenly telling the truth," Perkins wrote on social media. "The media's deception is having deadly consequences. Their refusal to acknowledge the truth is slaughtering innocent kids. Report facts, not make-believe."

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