President Biden faced scrutiny this week after it was revealed that his aides at the White House provided a list of questions in advance to two radio interviewers. The hosts, Andrea Lawful-Sanders and Earl Ingram, both confirmed that they were given a list of questions to choose from before their interviews with the president.
Lawful-Sanders, the host of “The Source” on WURD in Philadelphia, said she received eight questions and approved four of them for the interview. Similarly, Ingram, the host of “The Earl Ingram Show” on WMCS in Milwaukee, also had preapproved questions for his interview with Mr. Biden.
While it is not uncommon for campaigns to share preferred topics with interviewers, the practice of providing specific questions in advance is widely rejected by journalists. Despite knowing the questions beforehand, President Biden still stumbled over some of his answers during the interviews.
In his interview with Lawful-Sanders, Biden mistakenly claimed to have been “the first Black woman to serve with a Black president,” while in his conversation with Ingram, he gave a halting and confusing response to a question about the importance of voting.
The revelation that the questions were provided in advance raises concerns about transparency and authenticity in political interviews. Critics argue that this practice undermines the credibility of the interview and the ability of the public to hear unscripted responses from their elected officials.
As President Biden continues his campaign efforts to reassure Americans of his mental fitness, the controversy surrounding the preapproved questions highlights the challenges of balancing message control with genuine communication in the political sphere.
