Why isn't memories a reliable source
Aleal on Muppet Wiki explained this to me, and this is exactly what he said:
Memory alone isn't reliable. We don't trust our own memories generally until or unless verified by actual evidence (the source show, production documents, interview, whatever). People remember things or guests on
Sesame Street or Muppet productions that never happened, and that's where rumors come from. I've remembered thinking a character was probably played by one performer, then find video footage and clear proof it wasn't. On and on it goes.
Memory cannot be verified since it's only in your head and can change with the years. A photograph or video of what you remember seeing, that can be shared and confirmed or corrected ("No, that's not so and so, that's...") It's as simple as that. Sometimes you can ask "I remember such and such happening" on a forum and someone else may actually have a video link or a document to add to it. But we can't just go by "I remember this," because our approach is encyclopedic and based on citing sources. Memory is not encyclopedic and can only be sourced outside of itself (that's what we mean by verifying a memory).