A Philadelphia radio station has terminated the radio host who exposed the Biden administration for allegedly providing scripted questions for an interview with President Joe Biden. The incident has sparked controversy over media integrity and the administration’s handling of the president’s public appearances.
Andrea Lawful-Sanders, a host on WURD, a prominent Black radio station in Philadelphia, revealed that the White House supplied her with predetermined questions for an interview with Biden. This revelation came amidst Biden’s troubled reelection campaign following a poor performance in a CNN presidential debate.
In response to Lawful-Sanders’ disclosure, WURD Radio President and CEO Sara M. Lomax announced the station’s decision to part ways with the host. Lomax stated, “On July 3, the first post-debate interview with President Joe Biden was arranged and negotiated independently by WURD Radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders without knowledge, consultation, or collaboration with WURD management. The interview featured pre-determined questions provided by the White House, which violates our practice of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to our listeners. As a result, Ms. Lawful-Sanders and WURD Radio have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately.”
The controversy deepened when another Black host, Earl Ingram of CivicMedia, also revealed that he was given scripted questions for his interview with Biden directed at a Wisconsin audience. Ingram expressed his frustration, saying, “I didn’t get a chance to ask him all the things I wanted to ask,” in an interview with ABC News.
The Biden campaign has denied the allegations, claiming that the interviews were handled by the campaign, not the White House. A campaign spokesperson stated, “White House did not manage the process or the questions. This was a campaign interview and, as such, it was handled by the campaign and our Black Media Director. To overcommunicate, the White House Black media director was not involved because it was a campaign interview and not a White House one.”
The accusations against the Black hosts have been met with backlash, with some social media users labeling the campaign’s response as racially insensitive. The controversy highlights Biden’s reliance on his strong support base among Black voters, which he has been leveraging to fend off critics within his party who urge him to step down from the race.
A Black Democratic strategist told Axios, “The only reason President Biden is at the top of this ticket is his genuine, long-standing relationship with Black voters, built over decades. For his team to throw that relationship into jeopardy by using Black journalists as human shields for their communications crisis should be a fireable offense.”
The incident has raised questions about the integrity of media interactions with political figures and the ethics of providing scripted questions for interviews. As the Biden campaign continues, the handling of such issues will likely remain under scrutiny.
