This would make an interesting case study for a business ethics class

Seems Mary Tripsas, a Harvard Business School professor, accepted a free flight to 3M's headquarters, then wrote about how wonderful its "innovation" center in her New York Times column. Only problem, as NYTpicker points out, The Times says freelancers aren't supposed to accept free trips from companies they write about. Prof says she was invited because she teaches at Harvard, not because she writes for the Times, so everything's cool.

Via Shots in the Dark.