PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A Philadelphia radio host who said she used questions prepared by President Biden’s campaign in a post-debate interview parted ways with WURD, the station’s president and CEO announced on Sunday.
Andrea Lawful-Sanders, who hosted “The Source” on WURD 96.1 FM/900 AM in Philadelphia, mutually parted ways with the radio station after she said on CNN that she received a list of eight questions from Mr. Biden’s campaign, including four that she approved.
“WURD Radio remains an independent voice that our audience can trust will hold elected officials accountable,” Sara M. Lomax, the president and CEO of WURD, said in a statement on Sunday. “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.”
After Mr. Biden’s poor debate performance last month against former President Donald Trump, he did two interviews with Black radio shows in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — two states critical to his chances of winning the 2024 general election. In both, his campaign provided approved questions to two radio hosts, including Lawful-Sanders.
Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt told CBS News in a statement Saturday afternoon that “it’s not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer,” calling the questions “relevant to news of the day.”
Lomax said in a statement on Sunday that the interview with Mr. Biden was “arranged and negotiated independently” by Lawful-Sanders “without knowledge, consultation or collaboration with WURD management.”
“WURD Radio is not a mouthpiece for the Biden or any other Administration,” Lomax said. “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.”
A Biden administration official told CBS News, “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.”
A source within the Biden campaign also told CBS News that the campaign will refrain from offering suggested questions moving forward.
Since the debate, Mr. Biden has faced questions about if he should stay in the presidential race. He met with 20 Democratic governors last week at the White House to shore up support.
On Sunday, Mr. Biden was in Philadelphia and said during a speech at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ that his goal is to “unite America again.”
After his Philly stop, he traveled to Harrisburg with First Lady Jill Biden to meet with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and attend an event at a local union hall.
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