Too close

Infidelity allegations always send the press pack into a happy frenzy. This time, the subject is the mayor of Los Angeles. Whether it's essential for the public to know that an elected official separated from his wife is dating another woman is for newsrooms to decide. I'm more interested in the news-conflict side of the story. In an AP account I read (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-04-villaraigosa_N.htm), the journalist dating the mayor said she met him "at a professional level where we went on to become friends. The current relationship grew out of our existing friendship." She asked for "privacy when it comes to personal relationships." I'm reminded of a column that my journalist friend once wrote about a source upset with her coverage, which, correctly, led to a crackdown by the authorities. When she saw him in court, he tried to jab her with a comment along the lines of "I thought we were friends." Her reply, in print, was that journalists are never friends with the people they cover. "Friendly" (rather than icy) is one thing, I think, but "friends" is another. We should remind ourselves of this limit often. Editors and news directors, and ethics policies, should make clear what the ground rules are.