Zealous Pursuit of, Uh, What Exactly?

The CBS memogate report has been issued, and four have been fired. None of them were named "Dan Rather".

Yawn.

This from the report:

The combination of a new 60 Minutes Wednesday management team, great deference given to a highly respected producer and the network’s news anchor, competitive pressures, and a zealous belief in the truth of the segment seem to have led many to disregard some fundamental journalistic principles.

One question: What gave rise to this "zealous belief in the truth of the segment"? A valid question given the fact that all four experts enlisted by CBS would not vouch for the memos' authenticity (page 10 of the report). I believe this question is unanswered in the report (and I'd rateher have rabid monkeys eat my face off before I read all 230+ pages of it).

We don't really need the report to tell us, though, do we?

We already know the answer. So do Mary Mapes, Dan Rather, et alia.