Philadelphia radio station WURD announced Sunday that it was cutting ties with host Andrea Lawful Sanders after she revealed that during an interview with President Joe Biden, she asked questions sent to her by the campaign for her approval.
WURD Radio President and CEO Sarah M. Lomax said that not only did the pre-determined questions violate “our practice of remaining an independent media outlet,” but that the interview was “independently arranged and negotiated” by Lawful Sanders. Posts On the station's website.
“The first post-debate interview with President Joe Biden on July 3 was independently arranged and negotiated by WURD Radio host Andrea Lawful Sanders without the knowledge, consultation or cooperation of WURD management. The interview featured pre-determined questions prepared by the White House and is contrary to our practice of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to our listeners. As a result, Lawful Sanders and WURD Radio have agreed to part ways, effective immediately,” Lomax wrote.
Lawful Sanders, host of 96.1 FM's “The Source,” conducted a radio interview with Biden after Wednesday's debate. The former host told CNN on Saturday that he was presented with eight questions to ask Biden, and that he ultimately approved and used four of them.
Lomax went on to criticize the agency's level of responsibility when it comes to questioning the White House, saying the agency “does not speak for the Biden Administration or any other administration,” the statement said. (RELATED: White House defends Biden's mental health while radio host claims he sent him pre-written interview questions)
“Earlier this year, when WURD Radio was invited to the White House on Feb. 26 to host a day-long live broadcast featuring interviews with cabinet members and senior officials, we agreed with the explicit understanding that we would not be bound by the topics or subjects they suggested. We made it clear that our hosts would ask difficult and provocative questions at their own discretion, based on the needs and interests of WURD listeners — Black Philadelphians. This is a hallmark of WURD Radio's daily local, state and national coverage,” Lomax wrote.
BREAKING: A Philadelphia radio host who admitted to being handed questions for an interview with President Biden has been fired by WURD Radio.
Wow.
In an interview with CNN yesterday, host Andrea Lawfull Sanders acknowledged that she had been instructed to ask… pic.twitter.com/mcIU4jza5A
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 7, 2024
“This practice of delegitimizing Black voices continues today. WURD Radio does not represent the Biden Administration or any other administration. Internally, we will work to review our policies, procedures and practices to strengthen WURD's independence and trust with our listeners. However, mainstream media should do some introspection and explore how they have lost the trust of so many Americans, particularly Black Americans.”
After Lawful Sanders admitted to using campaign-approved questions, Milwaukee WMCS host Earl Ingram, who also interviewed Biden, came forward Saturday. ABC News He also talked about how the Biden campaign provided him with five questions, of which he used four.
The Biden campaign is adamant that it “did not control the process” but will no longer “present suggested questions,” according to the outlet, citing a statement from Saturday.
“While interview hosts have previously been free to ask any question they wanted, they will now refrain from asking suggestive questions,” a source familiar with Biden's media booking practices told the outlet.
During the interview, when Lawful Sanders asked Biden about his record, his performance in the debates and the upcoming race against former President Donald Trump, the president made an apparent gaffe by saying, “I'm the first black woman to work with a black president.”
The interview came after the Biden administration and its surrogates defended the president's mental state despite concerns from both within his party and voters following his poor performance in the debate.
