Andrea Lawful-Sanders (pictured in August 2021) resigned as host of WURD radio after being interviewed for questions provided by the Biden campaign.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
hide title
Switch title
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
A Philadelphia radio host has parted ways with her station after interviewing President Joe Biden and asking questions provided by his campaign, a move that was banned by many newsrooms, including her own.
Andrea Laufer-Sanders was one of two reporters, both black radio hosts in key battleground states, who acknowledged over the weekend that the Biden camp had asked them interview questions earlier in the week .
Their admissions come as the president is already facing heightened scrutiny and trying to do damage control after a poor performance in last month’s debate with former President Donald Trump.
Legal Sanders hosts source WURD Radio is an independent black talk radio station serving Philadelphia. She spoke with Biden on July 3 in what the network said was his first media appearance since the debate.
In a 14-minute interview that aired the next morning, Biden emphasized the power of black voters and outlined some of his administration’s victories for the black community, such as support for HBCUs and the nomination of the first black female Supreme Court justice.
The president also spoke with show host Earl Ingram last week. The Earl Ingram Show, Broadcasting in Wisconsin. The 18-minute interview covered nearly the same themes, with Biden weighing the stakes of the election, particularly for the black community, and highlighting his accomplishments.
Both interviews came into the national spotlight Saturday when Sanders and Ingram discussed them during a joint appearance on CNN. first.
Moderator Victor Blackwell noted that every time Biden is asked “Essentially the same“Four questions addressed his achievements, debate performance, electoral stakes and message to apathetic voters.
He asked: Did the White House or the campaign ask the moderators questions or ask them to submit them in advance?
“The reason I ask this question is not to criticize any of you,” Blackwell said. “It’s just that if the White House is now trying to demonstrate the president’s energy, energy and acumen, I don’t know how they’re going to do that by asking questions before the interview so the president knows what’s going to happen next.”
Legal Sanders acknowledged that “these questions were sent to me for approval.”
“I received several questions, eight of them, and I chose four,” she added.
Ingram did not answer but told The Associated Press separately on Saturday that Biden aides sent him a list of four questions in advance, adding, “There was no back and forth.”
He said that while the scheduled list gave him pause, he went ahead because “it was an opportunity to talk to the president of the United States.”
NPR has confirmed that the Biden campaign, not the White House, reached out to the host ahead of the interview.
Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt defended the move in a statement, saying it was “not unusual for respondents to share their favorite topics” and that the questions asked of Biden were “relevant to the day’s events.” News related”.
“We don’t condition interviews on accepting these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners,” she added.
The campaign decided to stop providing advisory questions in the wake of the controversy, said a source familiar with the campaign’s media booking operations who spoke on condition of anonymity to comment on private discussions.
Even before the debate, the Biden administration faced criticism from the media for its relative lack of access.
Biden has participated in fewer news conferences and media interviews during his term than any of the past seven presidents, according to an analysis shared with NPR by presidential scholar Martha Jonte Kumar.
As of June 30, Biden has held 36 press conferences and given 128 media interviews, second only to George W. Bush’s 166 media interviews. The “group” of journalists (588) had more informal contacts than any one person.
In most newsrooms, the practice of interviewee questioning is universally frowned upon. On Sunday, WURD Radio and Lawful-Sanders each announced they were ending their partnership.
WURD Radio President and CEO Sara Lomax said in a statement that the July 3 interview was “arranged and negotiated independently by…Lawful-Sanders, without the knowledge, consultation or cooperation of WURD management.”
“The interview raised questions that were predetermined by the White House and violated our responsibility as independent media to our listeners,” Lomax wrote. “Accordingly, Ms. Lawful-Sanders and WURD Radio have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately.”
Lomax went on to say that the station is not “a mouthpiece for Biden or any other administration.” She said Radio WURD seeks to “grow from this incident” and is committed to an internal review of its policies and practices with a view to strengthening its independence and regaining the trust of its listeners.
Legal Sanders confirmed in a brief video posted on Facebook that she resigned from her role as on-air host on Saturday. She thanked everyone who “played a role in this journey,” including WURD radio stations and listeners, and hinted there was more to come.
“Life is fluid. Things are changing,” she added. “And you’ll be hearing more about it in a day or so.”
