"I really trust this guy," he said. "I believe he's a real straight shooter."
Well, there you have it--the reporter "feels" that he was told the truth. No facts necessary when the feelin's right.
That must be the case with Rather too. He feels the docs are authentic, therefore they must be authentic.
Did any of the MSM ever take any investigative journalism classes. My daughter conducted more thorough investigations on her kindergarten science fair project!