Radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders who recently interviewed US President Joe Biden and claimed that the questions asked to the President were provided in advance, has resigned from WURD Radio. CNN informed of.
“The interview featured pre-determined questions by the White House, which violates our practices of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to our listeners,” Sara Lomax, president and CEO of the Philadelphia-based station, said in a statement Sunday. Website“As a result, Ms. Lawful-Sanders and WURD Radio have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately.”
WURD is Pennsylvania’s only black-owned talk radio station. Ms. Lomax emphasized that the station prides itself on being an independent and trusted voice for its core audience of black Philadelphians. She said the use of pre-sent questions “threatens that trust and is not a practice that WURD Radio embraces or supports as a matter of practice or official policy.”
“WURD Radio is not a mouthpiece for Biden or any other administration,” he added.
Lawful-Sanders, who hosts “The Source,” interviewed Biden last week, asking him four questions about the stakes of the election, his accomplishments, his debate performance and his message to undecided voters. In an interview with CNN’s Victor Blackwell on Saturday, she revealed that these questions were among eight suggested to her by Biden’s aides ahead of the interview.
“The questions were sent to me for approval. I approved them,” he said.
In a one-minute video posted on Facebook On Sunday, Lawful-Sanders said, “Effective immediately I am no longer an on-air host at WURD. I submitted my resignation yesterday. It has been accepted.”
He then thanked “everyone who has been a part of this journey, including WURD Radio.” He added that he was “grateful” and that “life goes on. Things are moving and changing. And, in a day or two, you’ll hear a lot more.”
The move has added fuel to the ongoing controversy over Biden’s sharpness following his lackluster performance in the first presidential debate hosted by CNN. Several top Democrats have expressed disappointment and concern over his debate performance, with some suggesting he should reconsider accepting the party’s nomination.
“If the White House is now trying to prove the president’s vitality, his vigor … I don’t know how they do that except by sending questions before the interview so the president knows what’s coming,” Ms. Blackwell said.
Ms. Blackwell added that both Lawful-Sanders and Earl Ingram, the host of “The Earl Ingram Show” in Milwaukee, who also interviewed the president this week, asked Biden “essentially the same questions.”
Surprisingly, Joe Biden’s campaign spokesperson did not deny the questions posed by the campaign, but said, “We do not give interviews on the condition of accepting these questions.”
“It’s not unusual for interviewers to share topics of their choice. These questions were relevant to the news of the day — the president was asked about his performance in this debate as well as what he has done for Black Americans,” spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said in a statement.
However, the spokesperson later said he would no longer suggest any questions to interviewers.
“While interview hosts have always been free to ask any questions they wish, going forward we will refrain from suggested questions,” a source familiar with the Biden booking operation told CNN.
