I find it hard to believe that AP doesn’t crop photos, adjust the contrast, or use some other similar method to improve the presentation of their images. Unless the standard is for photographers to submit raw images and let the editors make the changes, thus insuring the accuracy of the initial source, this does seem like no big deal.
Cloning out something from the image is a big deal. The rule is that you can crop, adjust color and contrast, but you never add or subtract anything using digital manipulation. Basically, the idea is to do only those things you could do in a conventional film darkroom.
The problem for AP is that they often rely on local photographers who have different ethical standards. Most reputable American photojournalists won’t alter photos, their bias usually shows up in the images they submit and the ones they don’t.
Some agencies can require the photographer to submit the actual images as they came out of the camera. Two that I can think of off hand are National Geographic and Sports Illustrated. SI has different requirements depending on the job, but they have been known to send out the actual memory cards, cameras and lenses for a photographer to use. National Geographic requires the photographers to send in the actual memory cards with the images and they are not to delete any images.