Should the Business Folks and Journalists Talk?

APPARENTLY, THE BUSINESS-SIDE folks at Variety made a deal with the producers of the film Iron Cross to somehow make the film an award winner. Promotional material was promised and money changed hands.

Then, a few weeks later, a freelance writer for Variety panned the film, essentially sinking it from becoming a nominee for anything (the review has been removed from the website).

The producers sued Variety, though the case was dismissed by a federal court judge who ruled that Variety had the rights of the First Amendment on its side.

Did the writer do a bad thing by panning the film? Did the business-side folks do something wrong by making deals to promote the film? Is this just a lack of communication between the business side and the editorial staff? Is there a greater lesson to be learned here?