Salinas Placed on Leave

Telemundo newswoman Mirthala Salinas has been placed on a leave of absence pending a job review in the wake of news that Salinas is in a romantic relationship with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, station officials said today. Beth Barrett in the Daily News. L.A. Times.

The move comes as questions swirled over Salinas' coverage of the mayor and Los Angeles politics. Station officials had said Salinas was removed from political coverage about 11 months ago.

But in a statement today, Manuel Abud, vice president and general manager of Telemundo (Channel 52), said the station will conduct an investigation.

"As we have stated, we are 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," Abud said in the statement.

"In the meantime, Mirthala Salinas has been placed on a leave of absence from her duties pending this review."

It was not known whether the leave of absence is paid or unpaid.