One evening, Ted, the news anchor on a local television show, reads the following from his prepared TV script: "In the news today, John Doe has been arrested and charged with child molestation." Ted pauses, and then, ad-libbing, says, "Man, that guy is always getting into trouble. Someone should teach that pedophile a lesson."

In fact, John Doe has not been arrested or charged with any crime and has never been in trouble with the law before. Does John have a cause of action for defamation against Ted? If so, what type of action can he bring? Explain your answer.