US President Joe Biden and former WURD radio host Andrea Lawfull Sanders.
WASHINGTON, United States — A Jamaican man has resigned from Philadelphia’s WURD radio after admitting to using questions provided by presidential aides in an interview with US President Joe Biden last week.
Andrea Lawful Sanders announced via her Instagram on Sunday that WURD Radio had accepted her resignation after she submitted it.
According to a report in the Guardian, Lawful Sanders’ resignation came after she appeared on CNN the previous day and revealed that she had asked Biden four questions that had been provided to her in advance by his team.
“The questions were sent to me for approval and I approved them,” Lawful-Sanders said. “I received a number of questions — eight in total — and the four that were selected are the ones I approved.”
Twenty-four hours later, Lawful Sanders posted on Instagram, “On July 2nd, 2024, I received a call from the White House communications team inviting me to speak with President Biden. As an independent contractor for WURD, it was standard practice for me to book interviews and develop questions for guests without the knowledge, consultation or collaboration of station management.”
She continued, “I accepted the invitation and began working with my team on suggesting topics to discuss. Through my interactions with the White House communications team, to my knowledge, there was absolutely no guarantee that the interview would air on WURD, as they contacted me directly and not the station.”
The interview with Biden aired on July 4th.
In a statement late Sunday, WURD radio alleged that Lawful Sanders had arranged the interview “without the knowledge, consultation or cooperation of management” and had violated the station’s editorial independence by accepting questions provided by Biden’s team, The Guardian reported.
The statement also said Biden’s aides’ decision to pose the questions extends historical practices that marginalize and “delegitimize” Black voices in the US media.
“WURD Radio does not represent the Biden administration or any other administration,” the statement, seen by the Guardian, said.
