Telemundo Places Salinas on Leave

Telemundo placed Los Angeles anchor Mirthala Salinas on paid leave following a controversy that erupted after Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa disclosed that he was having an affair with Salinas. 


The network and its Los Angeles station, KVEA-TV, which are both owned by NBC Universal, said they plan to conduct an internal review of the affair.

Salinas, 35, is a former political reporter who covered Villaraigosa as part of her beat. Although Salinas had switched to a job behind the anchor desk by the time Villaraigosa announced June 8 that he was splitting from his wife after 20 years, Salinas is taking heat for reporting the news on-air herself.

While Salinas reportedly informed her bosses about the affair last year, the Los Angeles Times reported that the relationship is at least 18 months old, and that Salinas was dating the mayor while reporting from City Hall. 


“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,” KVEA-TV general manager Manuel Abud said in a prepared statement released Thursday. 


Salinas said in her own statement that she isn’t concerned about the review. “I am confident that when all the facts are analyzed, it will be clear that I conducted myself in an appropriate way,” she added.