When I write a headline that tells you to guess what happened to the radio host who revealed that the White House gave her an approved list of questions to ask Presidentish Joe Biden and your first response isn't, "I bet she got fired," then I have to wonder why I've even been writing about Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) for more than 20 years.
The part of the story you probably know is a simple one but with broad implications. Philadelphia's WURD radio is black-owned and black-focused, and so Biden went there last week to shore up his support with black voters, which has been slipping.
Host Andrea Lawful-Sanders interviewed Biden on July 3 for the Independence Day episode of her radio show, The Source. Things got complicated on Friday when Lawful-Sanders had the audacity to reveal what everybody already knew but hardly anyone outside of alternative conservative outlets like PJ Media dared to say: that the White House didn't just pick the interviewers (or the questioners at "open" press conferences); they also picked the questions.
In April 2023, Biden was literally caught, on camera, with a “cheat sheet” showing the specific questions that reporters were going to ask him.
— America 2100 (@America_2100) July 6, 2024
It is genuinely remarkable to watch the media—in perfect unison—suddenly pretend to be outraged about things they already knew. https://t.co/NgSsD4i8VV pic.twitter.com/ECKMTPwgPM
Then there's this classic clip from 2022, that I'd like you to keep firmly in mind the next time you see Jake Tapper claim to be a journalist. Watching him pick up and hand back Biden's cheat sheet is the biggest tell in modern "journalism." If the MSM gave a hot damn about its credibility, this moment should have led to Tapper getting fired for operating under the pretense of conducting a real interview.
WATCH: Joe Biden drops his cheat sheet during his interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. pic.twitter.com/XDHKrSpjBA
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 12, 2022
Instead of Tapper fading into well-deserved obscurity and a come-to-Jesus moment for the press, we got more of the same — until Biden's debate debacle made maintaining the pretense impossible. Even if only momentarily.
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The worst example of the media's faux outrage came from ABC's Jonathan Karl, who posted this to X after the Lawful-Sanders story broke.
Your protest might have been worth something two or three years ago.
— Stephen Green (@VodkaPundit) July 6, 2024
Karl never did get back to me. A pity.
On Sunday, WURD announced that it had "parted ways" with Lawful-Sanders:
On July 3, the first post-debate interview with President Joe Biden was arranged and negotiated independently by WURD Radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders without knowledge, consultation or collaboration with WURD management. 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. As a result, Ms. Lawful-Sanders and WURD Radio have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately.
Here's where I must add: "Oh, bulls***."
WURD was as clueless about how Biden interviews are conducted as you and I are, gentle reader. Lawful-Sanders had to go, not because she did what everyone from Jake Tapper to your local news anchorperson has done, but because she let it be known. Even after all we've seen since debate night, the media is still playing CYA.
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For what it's worth, you can still listen to the faux Lawful-Sanders interview here.
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