If Rather had just quoted the memo on the Chyron instead of showing the “real” document, some people on the right would have just complained that it doesn’t sound right rather than having evidence of fraud.
True - but that would have invited demands to produce the document to prove it even existed...and if he produced that same one, that would have made it twice as bad - a phony story and then allegations they produced a phony document after the story aired as evidence, since the documents were fake.