Maven: Making a Target out of Wal-Mart

Of all the many honors and accolades given The Business Press Maven, the one that could save investors the most bucks came when The Week, a publication that summarizes the best of each week's journalism, deemed a certain article I wrote as that week's best business editorial.

The editorial was called "CEO Dearest" and served as a primer on how, from Martha Stewart to Carly Fiorina to Tina Brown to Anne Mulcahy and on, coverage of women CEOs is either slavish and worshipful or cruel and overly harsh. In other words, when it comes to female business leaders, coverage is a variation of the Madonna/whore complex.

Well maybe it's still early and once longer features start getting written or earnings come out, things will change. Or maybe reporters have been keeping my thoughts in mind as they write. Or maybe it's just that Nooyi -- a former rock and roller who last year essentially said America was giving the middle finger to the world -- offers a mix of an engaging personality and cause for concern.

I'm not ready to give out a coveted Business Press Maven "Nod of Approval" for any of this coverage— we'll have to wait to see if the improvements holds. I am, however, giving one out for coverage elsewhere. And for only the second time since stocks were traded under the old buttonwood tree, the "Nod of Approval" is going to a Street.com writer, Melissa Davis.

As you may know, there are two distinct camps on Wall Street when it comes to the fate of former highflier Xethanol (XNL), an ethanol outfit. Even on TheStreet.com, The Business Press Maven has been very open about his disdain for the company, while John Layfield has been a big proponent. That's a market: Intelligent minds disagree and, in the end, one changes their mind or is at least proved wrong. (Please let it be John, please let it be John...) In any case, into the fight last week came ShareSleuth.com, the Mark Cuban investigative site, which called the company a fraud -- and the company, which issued a strongly worded though slightly vague denial.

Who was right? Well, you should read Melissa Davis' story -- and not just because it shows that I might be right. Look at how she handled the situation, speaking to both sides. (Well, uh, she tried to speak to both sides, but the company refused to talk.) And how she did not take ShareSleuth’s negative claims as articles of faith, but looked to verify. I'll let you read the rest, but look -- I know a lot of individual investors have chased the ethanol craze -- but please listen to your friendly neighborhood Business Press Maven and walk a wide circle around this 'un.

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