On Wednesday, Dealscape posted an entry about CNBC's reporting on the possibility that book retailer Barnes & Noble Inc. maybe a buyout candidate. In the process, we also highlighted earlier CNBC reports from Charles Gasparino and David Faber about whether home improvement retailer Home Depot was also a buyout candidate. Gasparino called to let us know we mischaracterized his initial report. We'll set the record straight. First, Gasparino only said in his report last week that KKR was crunching numbers on a possible Home Depot buyout. It was in fact The New York Post the next day that suggested Texas Pacific Group also may be involved in a possible deal. In addition, we may have led readers to believe that Gasparino was overly optimistic about a deal, when in fact the report was skeptical, which Gasparino said he remains circumspect about the prospects of the deal. As a matter of fact, he told Dealscape that the deal would be "the longest of long shots," but he reported on it because confidential Wall Street sources said not to entirely discount it. Finally, our post mischaracterized Faber's follow up report. The Faber report did not refute Gasparino's, but instead he was unable to corroborate the story with his sources.—Matthew Wurtzel
See earlier post
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