Johnston v. Corinthian Television Corp.

LAVENDER, Vice Chief Justice:

Robert W. Johnston (Johnston), a coach-physical education teacher in the Skiatook public schools, brought a defamation action against Corinthian Television Corporation (station), a television broadcaster. The alleged defamatory statements were contained in television newscasts that included prepared scripts. The televised newscasts told of a sixth grader, on seeking to rejoin the grade school wrestling team, being required to submit to a whipping by his gym teacher and fellow students while naked and crawling, with his legs tied, through the legs of other team…