Maybe "attention seeking" isn't the right way to look at this. Getting bad press always does reputational damage while giving you notoriety, and I think GP's suggestion that the balance between them has changed is compelling.

In an environment with limited connectivity, it's much more difficult for people to learn you even exist to do business with. So that notoriety component has much more value, and it often nets out in your favor.

In a highly connected environment, it's easier to reach potential customers, so the notoriety component has less value. Additionally, people have access to search engines, so the reputational damage becomes more lasting; potential customers who didn't even hear about the bad press at the time might search your name and find it. They may not have even been looking for it, they might've searched your name to find you website (whereas before they would have needed to intentionally visit a library and look through the catalog to come across an old story). So it becomes much less likely to net out in your favor.