Radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders has resigned from the Pennsylvania's only Black-owned talk radio station after it was revealed that her post-debate interview with President Joe Biden included questions pre-selected by Biden's campaign team. The station announced on Sunday that the interview featured pre-determined questions provided by the White House, which goes against their practice of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to their listeners.
The station's president and CEO stated that using questions provided ahead of time jeopardizes the trust they have built with their primary audience of Black Philadelphians. They emphasized that the radio station is not a mouthpiece for any administration and does not endorse such practices.
Lawful-Sanders admitted that the questions asked during the interview were part of eight recommended to her by Biden aides. The move has sparked controversy and raised concerns about Biden's acuity following his lackluster performance in the first presidential debate.
There has been criticism over the White House's involvement in providing questions for the interview, with some questioning the transparency and independence of the media outlet. The Biden campaign, while not denying the provision of questions, stated that they do not condition interviews on the acceptance of these questions.
In response to the controversy, the Biden campaign announced that they will no longer suggest questions to interviewers moving forward. This decision comes amidst growing scrutiny over the handling of interviews and the need to maintain journalistic integrity.
