[etchalon]

1. The dossier wasn't some prank, and was proceeded by someone who, all things being equal, could be considered a somewhat "reliable" source. It's production and existence warranted investigation.

2. The dossier existed. It was floating around for months. Reputable organizations refused to publish the actual document, because it could not be verified sufficiently to warrant full coverage. CNN approached the potential story by talking around the document. NY Times just didn't publish it.

3. The Press is supposed to be relentlessly aggressive towards the administration, and towards power in general. Every administration has to deal with this, from one section of the media or another. Any time the press has abdicated that balance, bad things happen (see Iraq war).

4. An anonymous comment on 4chan doesn't "debunk" anything.