These documents werr forgeries through and through, and Mary Mapes and Dan Rather got caught trying to foist this big lie upon the American people.
None of their story was corraborated. Their research was shoddy and their references unchecked. This was low propaganda of the lowest order and they got caught. She's lucky the only thing she lost was her job. She should be sued and have her assets seized.
In J School I, too, was instructed that Presidential elections afforded reporters an ethics holiday.