Missing the Forest for the Trees?

Various news reports have noted that senior military officials have met with producers of the hit series 24 to urge them to stop creating scenes where torture is seen to be effective. The military feels that the hit TV show encourages soldiers to use the techniques depicted to secure intelligence information. These news reports have sparked a bit of debate as to the real significance of TV shows on military behaviour.

Look, I am not a fan of 24 and other shows that depict how effective torture is....however my biggest problem with these shows is that they shape public opinion using inaccurate information.

I think it is a little too easy to have the military and others pile on and seek to draw a line from Hollywood to Abu Gharib. Does 24 etc. impact soldiers? Possibly....although I think we have bigger things to worry about if a TV show can override core military training.

I think that the biggest challenge we have to convince the Administration to stop using/encouraging torture or outsourcing torture - that is where I'd like to see anti-torture campaigners focus their attention.

C-Posted from www.endtorture.net (A Citizens for Global Solutions Resource Center)