The black and white is supposed to evoke the Kennedy eras (both JFK and RFK). Haha.
In the age of digital printing where color is no more costly than black and white, the choice to show them in monotones can only be ascribed to effect as you note. It recasts the “photojournalism” of the article as “photoeditorializing” and dispenses with any attempt at objectivity. The piece is simply an excercise in hagiography.