The Lord of the Ring, Rule 803 Recorded Recollection

The idea is that, yes, it is better cross-examine an email. You got to put the person on the stand and then the jurors will look searingly into the eyes and watch the demeanor of the witness. And that's how they'll judge truth or falsity. That may be an extreme statement, but I certainly am willing to defend it for purposes of the show. The idea is principle number one of evaluating witnesses is confrontation. And so you want to maximize that as much as possible.