Radio station 'parts ways' with host who asked Biden 'predetermined questions' from White House
A Philadelphia talk radio host who interviewed President Joe Biden after his subpar debate performance last month has “mutually agreed” to part with the station that aired the interview, Axios reports.
Philadelphia, PA-based radio station WURD released the interview with Biden last week, on the 4th of July, after speaking with the president on Jul. 3. As CNN noted, that interview bore striking resemblance to another interview conducted by Milwaukee, WI radio host Earl Ingram just after the debate.
Speaking with CNN on Saturday, WURD radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders confirmed she “approved” four questions sent to her from Biden’s team.
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Lawful-Sanders said she got “several questions — eight of them” from the Biden camp, adding “the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved.”
The Philadelphia radio host’s experience was corroborated by Milwaukee’s Ingram, who similarly said the president’s campaign gave him the “exact” questions to ask.
Sara M. Lomax, president and CEO of WURD Radio, on Sunday said Lawful-Sanders’ use of “pre-determined questions provided by the White House … violates our practice of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to our listeners.”
Lomax claimed the “first post-debate interview” with the president was coordinated by “Lawful-Sanders without knowledge, consultation or collaboration with WURD management.”
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Prior to Lomax’s statement, Lawful-Sanders on Saturday defended her interview with the president, the Washington Post reports.
“When I was asked to do this interview it was most important to me to have the voices of the Black people heard,” Lawful-Sanders said. “I never once felt pressured to ask certain questions. I chose questions that were most important to the black and brown communities we serve in … Philadelphia. Those questions proved to be exactly what black and brown communities desired.”
In a statement, Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said the practice was common for candidates.
"It's not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer,” Hitt said. “These questions were relevant to news of the day — the president was asked about this debate performance as well as what he'd delivered for black Americans.”
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Similarly, CBS News reports a Biden administration officialadministration official said "the White House was not involved in any preparation for the two radio interviews."
"The official added that providing questions to interviewers is not standard practice for the White House, and the campaign is not planning to do it again going forward," according to CBS News.
Lomax, in her statement Sunday, said WURD separated with Lawful-Sanders because “WURD Radio is not a mouthpiece for the Biden or any other Administration.”
“Internally, we will commit to reviewing our policies, procedures, and practices to reinforce WURD's independence and trust with our listeners,” Lomax added. “But mainstream media should do its own introspection to explore how they have lost the trust of so many Americans, Black Americans chief among them.”
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