OAN’s Abril Elfi
12:38 PM – Monday, July 8, 2024
A Philadelphia-based, Black-owned radio station, WURD, has decided to “part ways” with its host after she revealed that the White House provided her with a list of pre-determined questions prior to her interview with President Joe Biden.
On Saturday, Andrea Lawful-Sanders told reporters that the president’s team had sent her eight pre-approved questions to ask Biden ahead of their interview on the program “The Source.”
Lawful-Sanders went on to say that she “approved” of four of the questions and utilized them in her interview with the president, which was his first since his poor debate performance the previous month.
The topics of discussion included Biden’s record in the debate, his performance in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the election’s implications, and his advice to citizens who are thinking about abstaining from voting in the presidential race.
However, on Sunday, WURD’s CEO, Sara M. Lomax, announced that Lawful-Sanders and WURD have “mutually agreed to part ways,” adding that “WURD Radio is not a mouthpiece for Biden or any other admin.”
“On July 3rd, 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,” Lomax said in a statement on Sunday. “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.”
Lomax continued to highlight that the station has remained an independent voice radio, and that agreeing to a pre-approved list of questions “jeopardizes” the trust its audience has placed in them for 20 years, and it inhibits their mission to “hold elected officials accountable.”
“This is something we take very seriously,” her statement reads. “This practice of de-legitimizing Black voices continues today. WURD Radio is not a mouthpiece for 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. 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.”
Her departure also comes after another similar admission by a separate local radio host in regards to Biden being forewarned about questions asked when he was interviewed in the days after the presidential debate. Wisconsin radio host Earl Ingram revealed to ABC News that he was given five pre-planned questions to ask Biden during their recent conversation, but that he was unable to finish them all before the interview ended.
Lawful-Sanders was informed by CNN‘s Blackwell that after listening to both interviews, the questions were “essentially the same” in both lists.
Meanwhile, Biden Campaign Spokesperson Lauren Hitt defended the decision to send the pre-approved questions and flocked to X (Twitter) in order to repost mutual posts that downplayed the situation.
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