PHILADELPHIA, PA — The host of a Philadelphia radio station who conducted the first interview with President Joe Biden after his widely panned performance in the first debate has resigned her post after admitting she asked Biden questions which had been provided to her by the White House.
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The move violated the 96.1 FM station’s editorial independence during an interview that was heard around the country. It also raised further questions about the tactics of a Biden campaign that has been flagging in polls since the debate, and about media tampering from a Democratic Party that has a track record of similar infractions dating back to supplying CNN with questions during the 2016 primary.
“We agreed (to the White House interview) with the explicit understanding that we were not constrained to their suggested topics or talking points,” Sara M. Lomax, the president and CEO of WURD, said in a statement. “We were clear that our hosts would ask difficult and provocative questions of their own determination based on the needs and interests of WURD’s listening audience — Black Philadelphians.”
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WURD is Pennsylvania’s only Black-owned and operated radio station, and Lomax added that the move by the Biden campaign was the latest in a long history of campaigns and institutions “de-legitimizing Black voices.”
“WURD Radio is not a mouthpiece for the Biden administration or any other administration,” she added.
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The interview aired on July 3. The host, Andrea Lawful-Sanders, put forth her resignation just days later after it came to light that Biden’s campaign had supplied the questions.
The questions focused on the debate and Biden’s qualifications. Biden spoke at length about letting his experience as a legislator and a leader reflect his capabilities, not his performance in the debate.
The Guardian reports that this wasn’t an isolated incident. The Biden campaign also provided a Milwaukee, Wisconsin radio host with questions before a nearly identical interview shortly after the WURD interview.
Lawful-Sanders noted in her resignation statement that it’s common practice for radio hosts to accept questions from high profile individuals before an interview. However, WURD said that the questions were not cleared with station management before the interview began and the lack of communication belied the troubling nature of the exchange.
According to CNN, the Biden campaign first issued a statement noting that it was typical for candidates to provide preferred subjects and questions, before saying they would not do it again.
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