Public beliefs about legal and constitutional issues, psychological effects of the media on trial participants, and extended effects of media coverage on the public were examined. Descriptive results indicated that the public generally disapproved of such coverage of courtroom trials. More important, women reported that they would be less likely to report a rape knowing that other rape trials had been televised. Two multiple regression analyses showed that when beliefs were related to approval of such trials, disapproval was related to respondents' views of the symbolic constitutional issues, and that a belief that 'televising rape trials would increase a rape victim's trauma' was most related to women's behavioral intention to report a rape. Tables, 9 references, and appendix. (Publisher abstract modified)