It's a concept, not just a word and there's no other word for the concept. Sure, if everyone were to agree to start using the word "wizfoo" instead of "hacker" for the concept, maybe that would help avoid the confusion that occurs due to some people confounding different definitions for the word. On the other hand, the English language is filled to the brim with words that have multiple (and sometimes opposite) definitions, so I see no reason why the world can't deal with that fact here. If there's blame to be placed here, it is certainly the fault of the journalists who refuse to acknowledge the distinction, as it is their job to be masters of words, and to understand these sorts of issues.