The tough thing to overcome for the Selke is many of the actual best defensive players in the NHL are unheralded 3rd liners.
So it's hard for the media to build a consensus behind relatively unknown players like that. It's much easier for them to get behind a big name.
Additionally, many of the voters are misappropriating the award to pump up their favorite players and support a desired (false) media narrative. So there is an integrity issue as well in the hockey media.
Players like Sidney Crosby who bleed goals against, can't hold a lead, don't PK, aren't deployed in a shutdown role, are used overwhelmingly for offense, and just plain aren't good at defense to begin with, have no business being anywhere near a Selke ballot. There isn't an argument to be had there (watch - anyone takes issue with this paragraph isn't even going to bother to try and justify it, nor will they provide any supporting statistics). Yet he's been placed above the actual great defensive players on many ballots over the years - including Bergeron, Datsyuk, Barkov, Couturier, Kopitar, etc.). -Because that is simply the narrative some fans desire to be told.
The Selke is a great concept. It was clearly created to give credit to the low scoring unheralded players doing the important dirty work - the Bob Gaineys of the world. Unfortunately, it's been abused to the point of meaninglessness.