They can but don't want to. It's pretty obvious that every outlet reports about Bitcoin the way the owner wants news about Bitcoin to be reported. Considering that most traditional bobos don't like Bitcoin, they let their outlets spew this type of nonsense. The same pretty much happens around election time. It's just what the owners want/allow you to read.
Dark web is just part of the economy, whether it's the fiat or crypto economy, it doesn't really matter. Anyone blaming Bitcoin for being used by criminals should also stop using their fiat currency. Fiat and Bitcoin are nothing but tools you can use or abuse. It's the authorities' job to chase after the criminals on top of the food chain. These criminals tend to be found abusing fiat way more so than Bitcoin.
It's incredibly hard to get money out of this ecosystem so what's better than to continue dealing with fiat?