So we don't know the true source of the story that alleges that Sarah Palin "mistakenly believed Africa was a country instead of a continent."

How's this for a scenario?—

In a noisy crowded place, someone asks Sarah Palin a question about Africa, and she mishears it as "South Africa" (or vice versa) and answers accordingly. The questioner, or maybe a bystander (who might not have been a professional reporter and doesn't have the habit of checking his inferences) mistakenly concludes that she doesn't know the difference.

This is how rumors get started.

I'm inclined to cut her some slack, too, especially since we don't know the source and can't question him about the circumstances.