Fake news pages spread false pregnancy claims about weather presenter Jacotte Brokken

Facebook pages are circulating false information about VRT NWS weather presenter Jacotte Brokken's pregnancy, with some claiming she is expecting twins and has already revealed their names. Brokken expressed shock and anger at the fabricated stories, noting that even her mother was initially concerned after hearing the false news.

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My mother called me worried. Everyone already congratulated her on her 2 future grandchildren, while she knew nothing about it. That made her doubt herself for a moment.

These deceptive posts appear on pages such as 'Showbizz België,' 'Info Vlaanderen,' and '247Showbizz België.' The pages employ a tactic of using catchy headlines followed by a prompt to 'read more in the first reaction.' The articles are likely generated by AI, enabling rapid, large-scale content production. VRT NWS expert Tim Verheyden identified that the page administrators are not based in Belgium, with operations traced to countries like Vietnam and the Philippines.

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I am very shocked myself. I know that websites often exaggerate, but that they spread such absolute untruths, I find that very serious.

Verheyden explained that a business model exists where page administrators purchase ads from Meta to attract followers and boost post visibility. This creates a revenue stream for both the content creators and Meta. While Meta occasionally removes individual posts after mass reporting, they rarely block entire pages. Brokken stated her frustration, saying, "I get very angry about this." She and others who recognize such fake news have limited recourse beyond reporting the posts or pages, which Verheyden acknowledges often has little effect.

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I get very angry about this.