Over the past couple of days, PR agency Edelman -- and Richard Edelman in particular -- has been embroiled in a modern day game of "who said, he said." Recently, the agency launched a blog campaign for Wal-Mart in which a couple travel the country visiting Wal-Mart stores. What wasn't disclosed was that the couple had relations with the agency, and were not as independent as the campaign would indicate.

End of story? No. What I find wonderfully refreshing is Richard Edelman's mea culpa since he was one of the standard bearers for the WOMMA's standard for transparency. This comment thread is fascinating, and I believe all executives can learn from his example.