This past fall, the Dean of West Point, Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, along with experienced military and FBI interrogators and representatives of Human Rights First, met with the creative team behind the hit Fox Television show “24” and tell them to stop using torture because American soldiers were copying the show’s tactics. We speak with two of the delegation’s members -- former Army interrogator Tony Lagouranis, who served one year in Iraq and David Danzig, director of the Prime Time Torture Project for Human Rights First. [includes rush transcript]

Is torture on television encouraging US soldiers to abuse detainees?

• Scene from Fox television series “24.”

The hit television series on the Fox Television network has a weekly audience of 15 million viewers. Each season of 24 depicts an impossibly tense day in which counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer has just 24 hours to stop a terrorism plot that endangers the country. Faced with this “ticking time-bomb” scenario, Bauer invariably chooses torture to force suspects to divulge critical information.

Some of the torture tactics on 24 include drugging, water-boarding, electrocution or power-drilling into a man’s shoulder. In five seasons of the show, there have been no less than sixty-seven torture scenes according to the Parents Television Council - that’s more than one every show.

This past fall, the Dean of West Point, Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, along with experienced military and FBI interrogators and representatives of Human Rights First, flew to Southern California to meet with the creative team behind 24 and tell them to stop using torture because American soldiers were copying the show’s tactics. The meeting was first revealed this month by The New Yorker Magazine.

Well the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the show has decided to cut back on torture. Not because of complaints but, they say, because it has become something of a cliche. Tony Lagouranis is one of the former Army interrogator who met the show’s writers in November. He served for a year in Iraq. He joins us from a studio in Chicago. And in our firehouse studio we are joined by David Danzig, director of the Prime Time Torture Project for Human Rights First. He was also in the group that met with the producers of 24. We asked Joel Surnow - the creator of 24 or any representative from the show to be on the program but they denied our request.

• Tony Lagouranis. Former Army Interrogator.

See Democracy Now!'s in-depth interview with Lagournais.

• David Danzig. Campaign Manager for Human Rights First’s campaign to address abuses that have taken place in U.S. detention facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere.