The death penalty is a defining issue in public policy debates about the role of punishment and criminal justice in society. Points of contention include the potential deterrent effect for the penalty, the degree of public support for it, and the degree to which the penalty serves an important symbolic function. However, public debate over the practice often proceeds without adequate information. Understanding how the media report executions is, therefore, of fundamental theoretic importance for examining public opinion and exchange as well as for assessing claims that deterrent and symbolic effects of punishment operate through the media. The article demonstrates the obvious but neglected fact that sensational cases are the most likely to come to citizens' attention, and concludes that media selection of stories may support the death penalty by failing to report on executions of relatively mundane murderers and relatively routine executions. The paper discusses the implications for policy and an informed public discourse. Table, references