I don't see why this is bad publicity for Bitcoin. When someone demands a ransom to be paid in dollars, nobody bats an eye. When someone demands a ransom to be paid in Bitcoin, everyone loses their mind.
i'm sure the media make it,bitcoin as for now already marked as a bad things by few dumb people and they keep spreading to their nearest people
it's such a double standard by media,when criminal uses dollars it's very common and not the currency's mistake,but when criminal uses bitcoin,it's bitcoin's mistake even bitcoin don't have brain and can't spend itself