I'd say it bears note that that same freedom gives one the right not to address questions at all or to ignore them completely.
In sad fact, given the frequency with which creators' answers invite still more controversy, for many such a response might be the wiser choice. Sometimes the creators really haven't thought things through, or have serious and unsettling biases that come to light. But it's also true that sometimes the questioners aren't looking for answers so much as for attention- and having gotten that attention, they're only encouraged to scream all the louder.
Many people who make creative works that have attracted a significant amount of public attention could spend all their time answering questions if they started allowing themselves to do so, to the point that they might rarely or never actually create again.
To put something into the public sphere is unquestionably to invite criticism. But despite the quirks of the era, and the slew of blogs, social media, and 24-7 connectivity that come with them, a creator doesn't owe someone a response just because they happen to have a reaction to their creation. At times it would be unwise not to heed that criticism, but that remains very much up to the creator.
In sad fact, given the frequency with which creators' answers invite still more controversy, for many such a response might be the wiser choice. Sometimes the creators really haven't thought things through, or have serious and unsettling biases that come to light. But it's also true that sometimes the questioners aren't looking for answers so much as for attention- and having gotten that attention, they're only encouraged to scream all the louder.
Many people who make creative works that have attracted a significant amount of public attention could spend all their time answering questions if they started allowing themselves to do so, to the point that they might rarely or never actually create again.
To put something into the public sphere is unquestionably to invite criticism. But despite the quirks of the era, and the slew of blogs, social media, and 24-7 connectivity that come with them, a creator doesn't owe someone a response just because they happen to have a reaction to their creation. At times it would be unwise not to heed that criticism, but that remains very much up to the creator.