1. hack targets and hold their data for ransom
2. get the ransom and release the data anyway
This would largely discredit the actual ransomware gangs. A way to make this more ethical would be to have the data be insignificant or encrypted. The media will still have their story, and public perception will be changed.
An even better way would be to secretly coordinate with the "targets" of the hacks, turning the whole thing into a harmless spectacle that nevertheless decreases the incentive to hold data for ransom.
It always felt funny how these criminal groups in this case have to project an image of trustworthiness and honesty.
A lot of folks now have ransomware protected backups for critical data so they aren't paying for decryption keys.
This has escalated to hack and release, the attackers are now exfiltrating data and threatening to make it public in addition to encrypting it on the host system.
Because they will publish the bad stuff, the stuff you really don't want public, but likely withhold the boring stuff, the stuff the business really needs to function. And whatever they release might not be in the format that it was taken.