Reporter acknowledges Boston, asks White House if U.S. bombings in Afghanistan are terrorism

It’s not very often that somebody who’s close enough to the Washington establishment to ask it a question risks upsetting the sensibilities of the government’s top gatekeepers. Even for journalists tasked with holding the powerful to account, it’s considered impolite to diverge from the manufactured reality of ‘U.S. always good, other countries good when we say.’

And so we’ll take this opportunity to applaud McClatchy journalist Amina Ismail.

Yesterday (April 17), Ismail asked the White House press secretary—that is, the voice of the President of the United States of America—if the U.S. bombing of civilians in Afghanistan qualifies as terrorism.

As noted by another reporter named Rania Khalek, that was a courageous move, especially given the climate of nationalism brought on by the April 15 attack in Boston.

“I can’t imagine it was easy given how extremely rare and frowned upon it is to challenge the dominant “war on terror” narrative, especially as a female reporter with an Arab-sounding name,” Khalek wrote, adding, “And Amina, if you’re reading this, thanks for kicking ass!”

Here’s the transcript of Ismail’s question:

“I send my deepest condolence to the victims and families in Boston. But President Obama said that what happened in Boston was an act of terrorism. I would like to ask, do you consider the U.S. bombing on civilians in Afghanistan earlier this month that left 11 children and a woman killed a form of terrorism? Why or why not?”

In his vapid response, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney never comes close to answering the question. But we thank Ismail for trying.

Related reading: Al Jazeera English correspondent Alan Fisher’s “Inside the White House briefing room.”