Mirthala newsbabe on the right.
Posted on 07/06/2007 8:13:12 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES – On June 8, TV stations around the city reported that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was separating from his wife of 20 years.
“The rumors were true,” is how one newscaster, 35-year-old Mirthala Salinas, broke the news to her Spanish-speaking audience on Telemundo's local affiliate, KVEA, Channel 52.
What Salinas didn't tell viewers was that she had been in an extramarital affair with Villaraigosa for many months.
That apparent ethical slip puzzles many observers, who say Telemundo's credibility has been damaged, even more so because the station didn't remove Salinas from the air until this week, after the mayor publicly acknowledged their affair.
“That's completely inexplicable,” said Laura Castaneda, an associate professor at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism. “Not only is it ethically questionable, but it's also tacky. Did she not think this wasn't going to come back and bite her as far as her career goes? She certainly should have known better.”
Villaraigosa defended Salinas, saying their relationship never gave her an advantage covering his administration.
“I can tell you that at the point where Ms. Salinas, a consummate journalistic professional ... decided that our friendship had grown to a point where it was necessary to inform her management that she shouldn't cover me, she did that and they agreed,” he said during a press conference Tuesday.
Telemundo acknowledged moving Salinas off the political beat in August 2006 to cover general assignment stories and serve as a backup anchor – the role she was filling the day of the June 8 newscast.
But the network's response raised even more questions. Instead of confirming that the move was prompted by her revelation of a potential conflict, spokesman Victor Franco said the new assignment was intended as an expansion of Salinas' responsibilities at the station.
After being roundly criticized, the network, which is owned by NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co., placed Salinas on leave and said it would investigate.
“Given the seriousness of the allegations that have been made, we have decided to conduct an internal review of the decisions and events that led us to where we are today,” the station's general manager, Manuel Abud, said in a statement Thursday. “We will conduct this investigation with the utmost respect to personal privacy and journalistic standards.”
It's those standards that have come into question, specifically, how long the station knew that Salinas and Villaraigosa were romantically linked and what steps it took to prevent a conflict of interest.
Telemundo employees operate under the same ethics guidelines as NBC News, according to NBC spokeswoman Allison Gollust.
What those guidelines say about a reporter's personal relationships with sources is unknown, however. Telemundo declined to makes its guidelines available, saying it was against policy to do so.
Telemundo spokesman Alfredo Richard said the guidelines would be considered in the Salinas review.
Salinas has defended her actions and said Thursday she expects to be vindicated.
“I am confident that when all the facts are analyzed it will be clear that I conducted myself in an appropriate way,” Salinas said in a statement.
The investigation must answer the key questions of what Salinas's managers knew about her affair with Villaraigosa and when, ethics experts said.
Already questions have been raised by discrepancies in the timeline. KVEA said it removed Salinas from political reporting 11 months ago. But the Los Angeles Times has traced her romantic relationship with Villaraigosa back at least 18 months.
Then there is the most obvious and troubling question – why did the station allow Salinas to report the news of Villaraigosa's separation?
The key there might be any documentation showing that Salinas asked not to be involved in the June 8 newscast.
Absent such proof, Salinas may have a tough time keeping her job.
“If you have a conflict of interest, you should not be reading the news in which you have that conflict,” said Kelly McBride, ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute, a journalism foundation in St. Petersburg, Fla.
“That one's easy.”
Democratic moral values at work!
and the happy home she wrecked.
I watched a Latina reporterette say that he was one of the highest placed Hispanics in government, and that he should be excused of his indiscretions because of all of the good he has done!
the happy home THEY wrecked.
This guy is such a sleazeball.
In this day and age of enlightenment, ethics comes into question? No way! /s
How do you know it was a happy home?
I stand corrected!
It’s a cliche’.
Tell you one thing about our LA Mayor Norms least his other woman is pretty unlike ex 42 other woman Monica yeah this so sad
Two selfish people wrecking marriage of 20 years so sad
Saw an article on google news that pointed out she had also been “involved with” a state legislator as well as LA mayor while she was supposed to be covering (the jokes write themselves) their political activities.
We don’t expect the hispanic media to be objective when it comes to dim pols but this is a bit much even for them.
Actually, the local Univision affliate in Miami was pretty objective in its coverage of the abuse of Guatemalan migrants by the Mexican authorities back when I was living there (1999-2002).
Well, this probably isn’t a popular opinion but I’m not so sure that a 3rd party can wreck a truly good marriage. Temptation is always there, some people can resist, some can’t.
Come on, she was sleeping with the manager as well as the mayor and with Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez and state Sen. Alex Padilla.
This chick knows how to get a head.
yitbos
Not a new thing for the LaLa land boy.
A news report said of his 4 kids, 2 are from
other gal friends.
Do any of these politicians keep their pants zipped?
i love it!
even the lost angeles times hates his guts!
not everyone can be a bill clinton—womaizer, rapist, and loved by many.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.