Is this kind of nitpicking really necessary especially when the point GP was making is completely unrelated to the exact nature of the algorithm (it applies to both)?

Well hashing algorithms are resilient against baseball attacks, I am not able to reverse SHA256 even if you beat me to death.

I think it is important distinction for criminals to know, killing someone because one doesn't understand difference between AES256 and SHA256 is bad outcome for everyone involved.

Well, you usually know your password without the need to crack the hash, so...

Yes, otherwise others might learn something that's wrong.