Reporting and racial identification

In an otherwise valid question to local churchmen about “stand your ground” legislation (In Theory, Aug. 10), the media writers chose again to interject racial identifications into the sad Martin-Zimmerman case that was not about race.

Can someone explain the need to describe Zimmerman as “mixed race Hispanic”?

By the same logic (identifying someone by their maternal heritage), President Obama can be referred to as “mixed race White/Caucasian’” but do you think the media would ever dare do so? I hope I am not the only one who thinks our local media go out of their way to throw race and sexual orientation into reporting that doesn’t otherwise need such identification.

Mel Wolf
Burbank