LOS ANGELES, July 5 (UPI) -- Telemundo has placed newscaster Mirthala Salinas on leave, following disclosure of her personal relationship with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
The Spanish-language broadcaster is conducting an internal investigation into whether Salinas violated journalistic ethics by having a relationship with someone she covered, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Manuel Abud, general manager of KVEA Channel 52, said the company is committed to "journalistic excellence."
"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," he said.
Neither Salinas, 35, nor Villaraigosa would comment, the newspaper said.
Telemundo executives had been under pressure to discipline Salinas after she and the mayor publicly acknowledged this week they had been in a relationship for more than a year. Villaraigosa last month separated from his wife, Corina Villaraigosa, after 20 years of marriage.
While Salinas and Villaraigosa were involved, she covered him on trips to New York and Sacramento. When he announced he and his wife were separating, Salinas delivered the news to Channel 52 viewers.
