“The AP has always been a just-the-facts type of organization,” the staffer added, where even star political reporters typically play a more behind-the-scenes role than those at other papers.
But in reality the particular facts - and especially the rules by which the particular facts are selected for discussion - constitute a perspective. In the case of "if it bleeds, it leads," and "Man Bites Dog, not Dog Bites Man," the rules select for superficiality and therefore inherently subvert conservatism.
You've hit upon a dictum our Saturday Morning Coffee Club espoused years ago: "What isn't in the news may be more important that what is in the news."