Jim Taricani, the American TV reporter found guilty of contempt of court for refusing to disclose the source of a secretly-recorded videotape, was sentenced not to jail but to six months “home detention”.

Included in the punishment: no access to the internet and no further public statements about the case. He can only leave home, the court ruled, to see his doctor. Before his sentencing Taricani said he never considered himself above the law.