The affair between Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Telemundo news anchor Mirthala Salinas was not the first — nor will it be the last — inappropriate contact between journalist and source or subject, associate journalism professor of professional practice Laura Castañeda wrote in a July 29 Los Angeles Times opinion article.
"In an ideal world, reporters would never get cozy with the (people they cover)," Castañeda wrote. "In reality, intense relationships with sources or subjects, romantic or not, are common. And if the past is any indicator, no matter what becomes of Salinas in the short term, she may indeed end up covering the (news) again."
She included a list of nine questionable and high-profile journalist-source relationships that proved not to end the journalist's career.
"(M)any reporters have become involved with — sometimes even married — people they or their news organizations covered," she said, adding that the reporters have not only survived but strived.
Castañeda's op-ed
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