Salinas placed on leave

Well, it's about time. Inquiring minds want to know when Telemundo newswoman Mirthala Salinas told her bosses she was having an affair with the mayor of Los Angeles - and who she told and what she said the nature of the relationship was and why the station apparently hadn't made it a big deal until the Daily News broke the story this week. While we're on the subject, it might be wise to ask her about other elected officials she supposedly was involved with while on the job. Here's what Manuel Abud, vice president and general manager of Telemundo (Channel 52), said in a statement: "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. In the meantime, Mirthala Salinas has been placed on a leave of absence from her duties pending this review." Not sure about the journalistic excellence part; I'd like to think that in many newsrooms, she already would have been out the door. Salinas has been off the 6 p.m. telecast the last couple of days. (Daily News, LAT)