[tanknetter]

>>>Dan Rather continues to stand by the story, and in subsequent interviews has articulated that he believes that the documents have never conclusively been proven to be forgeries — and that even if the documents are false, that the underlying story is true.<<<

Question: when running a news story isn't the burden on the reporter to make sure that source material is accurate and unimpeachable, rather than not demonstrably false?

[Mr_Moonlight]

Question: when running a news story isn't the burden on the reporter to make sure that source material is accurate and unimpeachable, rather than not demonstrably false?

You, sir, are absolutely correct.

Had this hit piece been directed towards any other citizen other than the President, CBS/Rather et al could have been sued for liable and slander, and would have lost big time $$$$. It is only because the presidential seat carries with it a, shall we say, "responsibility" that it must endure being relentlessly attacked, rather [no pun intended] than being the attacker, that such a lawsuit never happened.