Jul 3, 2007 4:32 pm US/Pacific
L.A. Mayor Admits Relationship With Reporter
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
-
-
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (File)
AP
-
-
Telemundo Anchorwoman Mirthala Salinas
CBS
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is in the midst of divorce proceedings with his wife, acknowledged in a statement published Tuesday that he is in a relationship with a Spanish-language television reporter.
"It is true that I have a relationship with Ms. Mirthala Salinas," Villaraigosa said in a statement published in the Los Angeles Daily News. "As I've said I take full responsibility for my actions, and I once again ask that people respect my family's privacy. For my part, I intend to stay focused on my job, and to work as hard as I can every day to be the best mayor I can be."
Villaraigosa had previously declined to comment, but issued the statement after the paper told him it was set to publish a story about his relationship with the Telemundo newswoman.
Salinas moved off the political beat, which includes coverage of the mayor, about 11 months ago, Telemundo spokesman Alfredo Richard said. He said the station wouldn't comment on employees' personal lives.
However, Salinas reported on Villaraigosa's separation from his wife while anchoring the KVEA/Channel 52's evening telecast on June 8, and two journalism scholars said Tuesday her actions created the definite perception of a conflict of interest.
"The rumors are true," Salinas said in Spanish. "Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa confirmed today that he is separating from his wife, Corina, after more than 20 years of marriage."
"It's clearly very, very dicey ethical territory when a journalist develops a personal relationship with a government official," said Bob Steele, the senior ethics faculty member at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"There are ethical problems of Salinas reading any stories about the mayor in her role as an anchor or an on-air reporter," Steele said. "To do so compromises not just her journalistic credibility, but the integrity of the Telemundo station."
Michael Parks, director of USC's Annenberg School for Communication and former editor of the Los Angeles Times, said reporters should "always recuse themselves if there is any personal involvement [with their subject."]
Messages left after hours by The Associated Press with Villaraigosa's office and at Telemundo, whose parent company is NBC Universal, were not immediately returned.
The mayor and his wife separated last month after 20 years of marriage. Corina Villaraigosa filed for divorce June 12, a day after the mayor told reporters in a City Hall news conference that he took the blame for his crumbling marriage.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Ex-NFL QB Steve McNair, Woman Found Slain In Tenn. 16 mins ago 
Stumble It!
