Wrong word choice for headline

Hooker? Really? How could you use the word “hooker” in the June 1 headline describing the now 19-year-old prostitute passed around the Oakland police force?

Reporting has made clear that she has been a prostitute since her early teens. There is no young girl who elects to take on the “job” of prostitution. She is a victim of rape and trafficking.

There is no room in mainstream reporting for the word “hooker.” I am disappointed in The Bee to have used this inappropriate headline.

This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Wrong word choice for headline."