Did Monster leak LinkedIn buyout rumors to spark interest?

Leaks often hit the press in an effort to change the reality of the news. They can be an effective way of drumming up more interest than a story really deserves and if BusinessInsider’s report is to be believed, that’s exactly what happened with the Monster.com/LinkedIn rumors that were circulating today.

Initially, the story on Reuters was titled “LinkedIn, others weigh Monster deal: sources” but has been changed to “Exclusive: Monster deal heats up, LinkedIn to pass: sources”. Apparently, the professional social network did a courtesy call to discuss Monster but decided against pursuing it which didn’t sit well with either Monster, Bank of America (who is assisting with the deal), or both.

LinkedIn is a high-profile company that went public last year and owns the professional job search and recruitment markets from a social perspective. They bought SlideShare last week for $119 million and seem to be considering other moves to solidify their position. Interest on their end would spark other companies to look at Monster. That was, at least, the hope, and it seems to have received enough journalistic coverage to have accomplished that particular goal.

Namedropping by any other name is still namedropping.