If a serial killer targeted prostitute's clients, the press would certainly report that part of the killer's modus operandi. They might not use the slang term "john", although the tabloid press probably would. However, this thread isn't about the press using derogatory terms for prostitutes. It has to do with the perception that the press mentions the occupation of the victims in a way that suggests that their lives are less valuable than those of other people. It's a perception that I have sympathy for, but I have to disagree with it. In a case like this, prostitution has to be part of the story.