Coverage of the New Bedford Massachusetts "Big Dan's Tavern Rape Trial" by Cable News Network (CNN) television cameras was ostensibly for educational purposes, to examine how rape victims are treated in court and how the judicial process works in general. However, the sensational nature of the trial strongly suggests that it was televised only to increase ratings. While the camera angles and pacing of the trial were largely dissimilar to soap operas or other daytime programs, the content of the trial approximated soap opera. Moreover, the educational value of the trial coverage was compromised because the victim's name and face were never shown, while the defendants', the judge's, and the lawyers' faces were often captured in close-ups, leading television audiences to be distanced from and unsympathetic to the victim, and more sympathetic to the defendants. The current process for selecting trials that will receive television coverage will likely produce more televised sensational sex-crime trials. It is therefore important that judges, attorneys, and victims understand how broadcasting such trials affects their outcome and public perception, rather than believing the myths of the televised trial. (Two pages of notes, examples of types of camera shots, results of trial shot size evaluations, and three pages of references are included.) (JC)