Sara M. Lomax, President and CEO of WURD Radio, announced on Sunday that the station had terminated host Andrea Lawful-Sanders after discovering she used questions provided by the Biden campaign during President Joe Biden’s first post-debate interview on July 3.
Lomax emphasized that Lawful-Sanders’s actions were inconsistent with the station’s commitment to independent journalism and compromised the trust of its listeners. “The interview featured predetermined questions from the Biden campaign, which undermines our role as an unbiased media outlet accountable to our audience,” Lomax stated in a released statement. She further disclosed that Lawful-Sanders and WURD Radio had mutually agreed to part ways with immediate effect.
Following Biden’s debated performance against Donald Trump last month, concerns over his public perception prompted efforts within his campaign to reframe him as a viable candidate for the upcoming November elections.
In a CNN interview on Saturday, Lawful-Sanders acknowledged approving four out of the eight questions presented to her for review. While Lomax initially attributed the questions to the White House, Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt clarified that they were provided by the campaign, not the White House itself.
Hitt defended the practice, stating, “It’s not uncommon for interviewees to suggest preferred topics ahead of interviews.” She emphasized that Lawful-Sanders retained the freedom to pose any questions she deemed pertinent, noting that topics covered, such as Biden’s debate performance and policies affecting African Americans, were relevant to current events.
The incident sparked discussions on journalistic integrity and practices surrounding interview preparation in media organizations.
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