Taking a public stand you might be wrong about takes guts. Changing your mind publicly later takes more.

Going public with a position costs you comfort. Walking it back costs you consistency, and people treat consistency as a stand-in for character, which is why the second move is the rarer one. What actually happened is that you let new information beat an old opinion in front of witnesses. That is a harder thing to do than taking the stand was, and a better sign of how you think.

When you change your mind, say what changed it rather than quietly editing the record. Name the old position out loud. Keeping it visible is what makes the update worth anything.