Philly Radio Host Parts Ways w/ Station After Disclosing She Used Pre-Approved Questions During Interview w/ President Joe Biden

Philly Radio Host Parts Ways w/ Station After Disclosing She Used Pre-Approved Questions During Interview w/ President Joe Biden

Andrea Lawful-Sanders, a prominent radio host on WURD 96.1 FM/900 AM in Philadelphia, has parted ways with the station following revelations that she used questions provided by President Joe Biden’s campaign during an interview.

The controversy arose after Andrea Lawful-Sanders disclosed on CNN that she received a set of eight questions from Joe Biden’s team, four of which she approved, for the post-debate interview.

Soon after, Sara M. Lomax, the president and CEO of WURD Radio, emphasized the station’s commitment to audience trust in a statement on Sunday (July 7):

“As Pennsylvania’s only independent Black-owned talk radio station, WURD Radio has cultivated that trust with our audience over our 20-year history. This is something we take very seriously. Agreeing to a pre-determined set of questions jeopardizes that trust and is not a practice that WURD Radio engages in or endorses as a matter of practice or official policy.”

Andrea Lawful-Sanders subsequently announced her departure from the station in an Instagram video, stating,

“Effective immediately, I am no longer an on-air host at WURD. I turned in my resignation yesterday, and it was accepted.”

She continued,

“Life is moving. Things are shifting and changing.”

 

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A post shared by Andrea A Lawful Sanders (@islddva)

She detailed her commitment to transparency and truth to the community in a separate post, saying:

“I arrived at WURD with one intention: Serve the Greater Philadelphia region truthfully, transparently, and most importantly, with love.”

Lawful-Sanders further explained how the interview questions were arranged:

“It has been a standard practice to book my interviews and develop questions for my guests without knowledge, consultation, or collaboration from station management. Upon accepting the invitation, I began working with the [Biden’s] team regarding suggested topics to be discussed.”

She elaborated,

“I was clear with the White House communications team about the topics most important to our listeners, rejecting any that did not address them. They respected my notes, question edits, and license to change, add or ignore their suggested questions. I cannot stress enough that it is not uncommon for high-profile people to submit suggested questions.”

 

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A post shared by Andrea A Lawful Sanders (@islddva)

Joe Biden’s team also described the practice of providing suggested questions as common, clarifying that hosts are always free to ask the questions they believe are best for their audience:

“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners.”

The incident underscores the challenges Biden’s campaign faces as he seeks support ahead of the 2024 election.

Former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden

Amid calls from some congressional Democrats for him to step aside, Biden recently reaffirmed his commitment to staying in the 2024 presidential race and defeating Donald Trump in a letter to party members.

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