I too have noticed that TechCrunch will publish anything with YC's name on it - even from the outside, you can tell that the two parties have a really curious direct relationship. Despite this odd arrangement, TechCrunch writers still do not disclose it on their individual profiles (even though they may go as far as disclosing who they are dating and what loose connection that personal relationship might have to their excuse of "reporting"). By having a strong hold on TC, Ycombinator can distort the public opinion around it even if it has wronged someone.
Journalism should be free-thinking and not just morph into whatever opinion YC likes best and that suits them. I wonder how many journalists Ycombinator has strong armed into publishing stuff they like by denying them access to demo day or "exclusives" on their companies.
It also frustrates me because I have friends who aren't in YC but constantly grinding it out and working on their startups - how come they can't easily get on TC as well? How many real, actual stories have we missed out on just because a new YC company is entering the scene and feels compelled to occupy the very self-entitled YC showcase that is TechCrunch?