I have wildly different expectations from a mainstream news report and a post on TechCrunch.  I expect the NY Times to report on the facts a minimal yet tangible amount of bias.  Such is the norm in the traditional news media.

When reading a blog like TechCrunch, the flaming perspective colored by both expert knowledge, and let's be honest - personal bias, is not only quite fun, but in many respects defines the value of the channel.  Whereas traditional news is 80% fact and 20% story, TechCrunch is generally 40% facts and 60% author's perspective.  The personal perspective is what has always defined Michael Arrington and therefor TechCrunch.

TechCrunch without a strong, hard leaning, personal/expert perspective becomes just another news and dry opinion site, in an incredibly over-saturated market.  TechCrunch isn't the NY Times, and it isn't Huffington Post.  We are living in a new era where the word journalism is constantly being redefined.  

AOL has to realize that they are in the audience-meets-content business, and not in the journalism game.  I never read TechCrunch for their journalistic integrity, though in many ways I trusted their perspective far more than that of "traditional" journalists (largely because we have grown to know the contributors so personally).  

I'm a huge fan of Arianna Huffington's approach and success.  But if Huffington Post is journalism, we're all in for a lot trouble.  It's time we grew to accept the new dynamic.  Without the personalities, TechCrunch becomes yet another expert opinion collective.