Mark Cuban is financing a web startup called ShareSleuth.com that aims to expose the wrongdoings of corporations through investigative reporting. Earlier this week, the site published a story on Tampa-based UTEK and the company’s stock plummeted 36 percent. Then there’s this little nugget — a disclosure at the end of the story, written by publisher Christopher Carey: “Mark Cuban, the majority member of Sharesleuth.com LLC… has sold short 75,000 shares of UTEK’s stock at an average price of around $20 a share.†UTEK closed at $12.15 on Thursday. As the site explains, “In certain instances, the majority partner of Sharesleuth.com is going to make personal investments based on information we uncover. Those investments will be fully disclosed, so that readers can evaluate any potential conflicts of interest.” Potential?
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