Does '24' encourage US interrogators to 'torture' detainees?

[Doondoo]

The Fox Broadcasting Company television show "24," which for the past five years has detailed "a single, panic-laced day" in which Jack Bauer – a heroic counter-terrorism agent, played by Kiefer Sutherland - must stop "a conspiracy that imperils the nation," is one of the US's most popular shows. But it may also be encouraging real-life interrogators to "go too far" when they questions terrorist suspects.

This week's New Yorker features a story about Joel Surnow, the show's creator and a self-described "right-wing nut," and includes the information that last November Mr. Surnow and the story's creative staff were visited by a brigadier general and three top military and FBI interrogators, as well as human rights groups, who told them that the show's graphic depictions of the torture of suspects was "hurting efforts to train recruits in effective interrogation techniques and is damaging the image of the US around the world."

This past November, US Army Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, the dean of the United States Military Academy at West Point, flew to Southern California to meet with the creative team behind "24." Finnegan, who was accompanied by three of the most experienced military and FBI interrogators in the country, arrived on the set as the crew was filming. At first, Finnegan – wearing an immaculate Army uniform, his chest covered in ribbons and medals – aroused confusion: he was taken for an actor and was asked by someone what time his "call" was.

In fact, Finnegan and the others had come to voice their concern that the show's central political premise – that the letter of American law must be sacrificed for the country's security – was having a toxic effect. In their view, the show promoted unethical and illegal behavior and had adversely affected the training and performance of real American soldiers. "I'd like them to stop," Finnegan said of the show's producers. "They should do a show where torture backfires."



http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0212/p99s01-duts.html

[hlthe2b]

1. No being a RW asshole does... especially when your CIC

is a narcissistic sadist that lives for this stuff and thinks nothing of violating every treaty we ever signed..

[RedStateShame]

2. More than likely, torturing detainees inspired '24'.

What, you really think this is a brand new phenomenon?

[pwb]

3. fox.....warmonger broadcasting at every level.

[FormerDittoHead]

5. Especially the Simpsons! n/t

[FormerDittoHead]

4. Better question: does it encourage ACCEPTANCE of torture? Answer YES.

Almost EVERY WEEK in 24 (which I enjoy, btw) there is given an example of someone who is tortured and as a result, gives accurate or at least partially accurate information which can be acted upon.

Don't you know? Jack Bauer can look into a prisoner's eyes and tell if they are telling the truth, or if they need more torture. (or last week, they showed some gizmo which was some kind of infallible lie detector).

NOT ONCE in the series has torture ever resulted in the prisoner giving false data just to end the torture. This is unfortunate because that is the most common product.

The article is spot on - just once they should do a show where torture backfires.

[pwb]

6. and king kong is real....?

you cant teach an old rush fan new ways. accemptence of torture?

[FormerDittoHead]

8. I would invite you to re-read my message. n/t

[Little Wing]

7. No, but it does inspire me to reroute my firewall systems to run through a packet

bounce in Australia in order to reverse the byte feed and hopefully get a track on that last cellphone prank caller I got.