Fake News alert: Narayana Murthy did not advocate for ‘limited interaction between young boys and girls’

A screenshot of a purported news report claiming that Infosys founder Narayana Murthy advocated for “limited interaction between young boys and girls” was shared extensively on social media. Many users believed the report was genuine, as it was attributed to the Hindustan Times. However, the news outlet swiftly dismissed the claim, confirming that the report was fake and digitally altered.

On January 7, Hindustan Times took to social media to address the misinformation, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “A screenshot of a purported HT story claiming “Narayana Murthy advocates limited interaction between young girls and boys for success” is circulating online. We confirm that the screenshot is photoshopped and the story is fake.”

Hindustan Times’ legal team is now taking steps to identify and hold accountable those responsible for spreading the false information. “Our legal team is actively addressing the matter, and appropriate legal action will be taken against those responsible for creating and spreading this misinformation,” the post added.

“We urge everyone to verify information through credible sources before sharing or believing such claims,” Hindustan Times also wrote.

The misleading screenshot began to spread after a user shared it on January 7, writing, “Another statement from Mr Murthy. Is Narayana Murthy okay? (sic).”

PTI Fact Check’s investigation into the matter also revealed that no such report had been published on the Hindustan Times website, nor had Narayana Murthy made any such statement. To verify the claim, the team said it first conducted a Google search using relevant keywords, but no credible media reports were found linking Murthy to the viral claim.

Further checks were made by searching the Hindustan Times website directly for recent news about Narayana Murthy. Several articles featuring the same image used in the viral screenshot were found. One such article, published on December 16, 2024, highlighted Murthy’s statement that youth should work 70 hours a week to improve the country’s condition. However, the original report contained details such as the publication time and date, which were conspicuously absent from the viral screenshot, revealing it as a doctored version of the original.