How does the media affect judicial decisions? We look at the effect of television broadcasting of crime and justice on sentencing decisions, by juries of civilians and professional judges. We find that news on the day before a trial affects sentencing of civilian juries: sentences are longer after coverage of crimes, and shorter after stories on judicial errors. However, this effect does not last over time, and we find no effect of media coverage on professional judges. This indicates that perception of gravity could be reference-dependent in a very contextual manner, rather than jurors reflecting social currents that would also be affected by longer-term media. This paper contributes to expanding the analysis of how the content of media affects public opinion to judges’ and jurors’ choice; and brings to the field questions of extraneous factors in judicial decisions.