The Scoop: Radio host resigns after using campaign-provided questions in Biden interview

A Philadelphia radio host who scored the first post-debate interview with President Joe Biden has now resigned after admitting she used questions provided by the Biden campaign.

Andrea Lawful-Sanders, former host of “The Source” on WURD Radio, acknowledged in an interview that she received the questions from the Biden campaign for “approval.”

“I got several questions, eight of them, and the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved,” she said, according to NPR.

Another Black radio host who interviewed Biden also said he was provided a list of questions to ask the president.

“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,” Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt told NPR.

But WURD Radio said the use of those questions was a breach of their journalistic ethics.

“The interview featured pre-determined questions provided by the White House, which violates our practice of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to our listeners,” WURD Radio President and CEO Sara Lomax wrote in a statement. “As a result, Ms. Lawful-Sanders and WURD Radio have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately.”

Why it matters: This is a complex situation, but it shows just how consequential the actions of PR professionals can be. Ultimately, the hosts are responsible for their own ethical obligations. But the temptation to speak to the most powerful man in the world can be heavy.

Earl Ingram, the other Black radio host who interviewed the president, said he was given a list of four questions to ask the president and that, “there was no back and forth.” He ultimately accepted because it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

A source in the Biden campaign has since said they will stop providing suggested questions in advance. But the damage has been done: a woman has lost her job and the positive PR that the media appearances were meant to provide are gone.

Often, PR professionals might think that it “can’t hurt” to do something. It can’t hurt to send suggested questions. It can’t hurt to ask to review an article before it’s published.

But as this case demonstrates, it can hurt. It can negatively impact both media partners as well as clients’ credibility.

Tread lightly.

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Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on X or LinkedIn.