Mamya - // It strikes me that those in the public eye (and not of course ) have an inbuilt fear of answering a query with 'I don't know' or words to that effect - unless you were involved in what went on that is the only fair reply to give. //
I think you make an excellent point.
The anonymous majority in the world get to express themselves badly without thinking through what they are saying first, and no-one takes a lot of notice.
The famous minority have everything they say and do analysed minutely, including speaking carelessly, and saying things that they realise are either not thought through, or do not reflect what they actually believe, and that means a retraction and an apology.
People do make mistakes, that's why they put rubbers on the end of pencils, we need to be able to allow for that, rather than jumping up and down in remote and over-righteous indignation, which really does nothing and helps no-one.