… I totally feel for Alex.  Getting called up by a journalist can be a rush and cause even the most savvy people to say things they regret (especially if they talk too long).

My take is that people are pretty forgiving of the occasional slip of the tongue and that journalists will continue to gravitate to those people who are more free in their answers.  Especially for a small business person that doesn’t get much free publicity, you may be better just telling it like it is.  Staying on message often results in such a bland message that you may not be quoted in the first place.