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Does the MSM think Wikipedia is a form of witchcraft?

July 27th, 2007

That the mainstream media (MSM) dislikes and fears Wikipedia is not a new thought. Newspapers and TV news never miss the chance to report negative stories about Wikipedia, while consistently ignoring its many positive contributions. I’ve read and watched many of these reports, and I am stunned by the extent of their inaccuracy and bias, which is incredibly ironic considering the charges they level against Wikipedia itself.

So, I’ve been wondering lately whether I may have stumbled on to a new technique being used to further discredit Wikipedia, but in a much more subtle way. The next time you hear a story about Wikipedia on television or radio, listen closely to the way the news reader or correspondent says the site’s name. To my ear, more and more of these pronunciations sound like this one:

Now pronouncing the word in this way could be just a personal quirk or an innocent mistake of course. Still, it would never occur to me (or, as far as I know, native speakers of the Hawaiian language) to end “wiki” with a long “a” sound. So perhaps there is something else going on here. Could this be a covert attempt to manipulate our thinking by conflating “Wikapedia” with something darker such as “wicca,” the so-called religion of witchcraft? Perhaps there is a bit of subliminal suggestion taking place…intriguing, isn’t it?

Now, of course, I’m just joking. Well, not entirely. Actually, I am curious to know how widespread this unusual pronunciation phenomenon is. So, if you have heard a news report in which someone called it “Wikapedia,” please post a comment below. Be sure to include the media outlet where you heard it, if you can remember.

Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, What's New?, Social Media, Innovation, Extreme Makeover