On Friday, April 5th, a powerful earthquake struck the Northeast region of the United States. The epicenter was near Gladstone, New Jersey and it measured 4.8 on the Richter scale.
This was one of the strongest quakes in decades for some places in this area.
On Friday, April 5th, a powerful earthquake struck the Northeast region of the United States. The epicenter was near Gladstone, New Jersey and it measured 4.8 on the Richter scale. This was one of the strongest quakes in decades for some places in this area.
The aftershocks throughout Friday were felt by many residents as well.
The earthquake was centered in Readington, New Jersey.
It quickly became the talk of the town and on social media.
Some residents reported feeling shaking, swaying and that it was very unusual.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that everyone was freaking out when they experienced the earthquake. However, this statement is not supported by any direct quotes from witnesses or evidence of widespread panic. Secondly, the author uses sensationalist language such as 'everyone was freaking out' and 'pretty scary' to create a sense of fear and danger without providing concrete facts about the severity of the earthquake or its impact on people. Thirdly, some statements made by witnesses contradict each other. For example, one witness says they thought it was just wind while another says they felt their windows shaking. This inconsistency undermines the credibility of the article and makes it difficult to determine what actually happened during the earthquake.
The author claims that everyone was freaking out when experiencing the earthquake, but this is not supported by any direct quotes from witnesses or evidence of widespread panic.
Some statements made by witnesses contradict each other, making it difficult to determine what actually happened during the earthquake.
The author uses sensationalist language such as 'everyone was freaking out' and 'pretty scary' to create a sense of fear and danger without providing concrete facts about the severity of the earthquake or its impact on people.
Fallacies
(80%)
The article contains several examples of an appeal to authority fallacy. The author quotes multiple people who claim that the earthquake was felt and experienced by them, but these statements are not supported by any evidence or objective observation. Instead, they rely on subjective experiences and personal accounts which can be biased or inaccurate.
I ran out of my apartment pretty much immediately
Some people on West 82nd Street got a case of the jitters when they say the quake expanded existing cracks in their structure.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains examples of people expressing fear and panic in response to the earthquake. The author quotes multiple individuals who describe feeling scared or unsure about what was happening. Additionally, there are several instances where people report experiencing physical effects from the quake, such as shaking buildings and swaying objects.
Everybody felt it was pretty out-of-the-ordinary
I freaked out
I honestly thought it was just a forklift that hit something, because I was on the phone with my partner at work, and he said all of a sudden the building started to shake
My whole bed shook
Pretty scary, really
The ground started shaking but I thought... is there a truck or something going on in the warehouse? Then you could see the pipes in the warehouse shaking and swaying back and forth.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The article by Elijah Westbrook, Dick Brennan, Dave Carlin and Natalie Duddridge contains multiple conflicts of interest. The authors have a financial stake in the community food bank of New Jersey as they are reporting on its response to the earthquake. Additionally, one author has a personal relationship with Rutgers University which could affect their objectivity when covering it.
The article mentions that Elijah Westbrook is an anchor at CBS News in New York and reports on the community food bank of New Jersey's response to the earthquake. This suggests a financial stake in the organization.
The epicenter of the earthquake was near Gladstone, New Jersey.
There were several aftershocks throughout the day following the original quake.
Accuracy
It quickly became the talk of the town and on social media.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the aftershock had a magnitude of 4.0 but later reports state that it was actually a 3.8 magnitude earthquake. This shows inconsistency and selective reporting on the part of the author to make their story more sensationalized.
The article initially reported an aftershock with a magnitude of 4.0, but later reports state that it was actually a 3.8 magnitude earthquake.
Fallacies
(80%)
The article contains several examples of an appeal to authority and inflammatory rhetoric. The author cites experts such as the United States Geological Survey (USGS) without providing any context or analysis of their opinions. Additionally, the author uses phrases like 'strong aftershock' and 'pretty crazy' which are subjective statements that could be interpreted differently by different people.
The USGS figures indicated that over 42 million people might have felt the rumbling.
Bias
(85%)
The article reports on an earthquake that hit New Jersey and its aftershocks. The author does not provide any personal opinions or biases in the reporting of the facts. However, there are a few examples where language is used to create a sense of urgency and danger which could be seen as sensationalist.
An important piece of New Jersey's history was damaged in the quake
Residents recall aftershock hours after the original quake in NJ
The 4.8 magnitude earthquake that hit New Jersey was just below what's considered moderate
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said that the earthquake happened at 10:23 a.m., lasted less than a minute, and was among the area's biggest ever recorded with an initial measurement of 4.8 on Friday night.
New York Gov Kathy Hochul stated that it was last time such a powerful earthquake was felt in the state in 2011.
Geologists said that while unusual, this intensity is not unprecedented for the region and at least three stronger quakes were recorded locally in the 1700s and 1800s.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the earthquake was among the area's biggest ever recorded when there have been stronger quakes in other parts of New York state and even globally. Secondly, it claims that geologists said the intensity was unusual but not unprecedented for the region which contradicts what experts say about this being a rare event. Thirdly, it states that aftershocks are common following earthquakes when there is no evidence to suggest they were felt in this case.
The article claims that the earthquake was among the area's biggest ever recorded but geologists have stated otherwise.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the USGS as a source for information about the earthquake's magnitude and aftershocks. However, this does not necessarily mean that their information is accurate or reliable. Additionally, there are instances of inflammatory rhetoric used in describing the intensity of the earthquake and its impact on residents. The author also uses dichotomous depictions by stating that
The USGS initially identified the epicenter of the earthquake as Whitehouse Station,
Bias
(10%)
The article is reporting on a rare earthquake that shook the New York City region. The author provides information about the magnitude of the earthquake and its location in northwest New Jersey. They also mention previous seismic events in the area and provide expert opinions from geologists regarding intensity and frequency of aftershocks.
The U.S. Geological Survey, a federal agency that tracks seismic events, said the earthquake happened at 10:23 a.m. and lasted less than a minute.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The article has multiple conflicts of interest. The author is a member of the New York City region and may have personal ties to the area affected by the earthquake. Additionally, Kathy Hochul and Paul Earle are mentioned in relation to their roles with Whitehouse Station and USGS respectively, which could create potential financial or professional ties that compromise objectivity.
Kathy Hochul's role at Whitehouse Station may create potential conflicts of interest
The author is a member of the New York City region
The strongest quake in decades for some places occurred on April 5, 2024.
There were several aftershocks throughout the day following the original quake.
Accuracy
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook parts of the Northeast on Friday morning.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it implies the magnitude 4.8 earthquake was rare for some places on the East Coast when in fact this type of quake occurs regularly along the eastern seaboard.
the strongest quake in decades for some places.
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook parts of the Northeast on Friday morning,
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that the magnitude 4.8 earthquake was the strongest quake in decades for some places without providing any evidence or context about how this is determined.
> The Northeast on Friday morning experienced a magnitude 4.8 earthquake, which was the strongest quake in decades for some areas.
Bias
(85%)
The author of the article demonstrates a clear bias in favor of the East Coast and its vulnerability to earthquakes. The title implies that east coast earthquakes are rare, which is not accurate according to scientific data. The body of the article focuses on one recent event as an example, while ignoring the fact that there have been many more frequent and stronger quakes in other parts of the country. The author also uses emotive language such as 'shook' and 'strongest' to create a sense of urgency and fear among readers. Additionally, the article does not provide any context or explanation for why earthquakes are happening on the East Coast, nor does it offer any solutions or recommendations for preparedness.
April 5, 2024 A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook parts of the Northeast on Friday morning, the strongest quake in decades for some places.
The New Jersey earthquake was the first many Northeasterners had ever felt. It measured 4.8 on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of zero to 70 kilometers below ground.
There is no short-term earthquake prediction method, but scientists can review scientific data and calculate probabilities for future earthquakes.
Accuracy
There is a 38% chance of an aftershock measuring magnitude 3.0 or more over the next week, with one such aftershock recorded eight hours later.
Friday's earthquake is probably not indicative that longer-term earthquake activity is on the rise in the region as tectonic plates move relative to each other are far away from plate boundaries where such activity occurs. New Jersey has had several small earthquakes since 2020 but they were all of a magnitude less than 2.5.
The Ramapo Fault System, which stretches from Pennsylvania to southeastern New York, is the longest fault line in the northeastern U.S.
Fault lines are fractures between blocks of rock in Earth's crust that allow tectonic plates to move and earthquakes occur when two plates slide past each other. The USGS maintains several monitoring instruments around known fault lines and volcanoes for data transmission in real-time to researchers in California.
Deception
(30%)
The article is misleading in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Friday's earthquake was a shallow earthquake because it occurred at a depth of zero to 70 kilometers below ground. However, according to the USGS report cited in the article itself, this quake had an epicenter depth of only 5 kilometers which is considered very shallow for an earthquake. Secondly, while the author correctly states that fault lines are fractures between blocks of rock in Earth's crust and allow tectonic plates to move causing earthquakes when two plates slide past each other, they then proceed to claim that this particular region has not experienced significant long-term seismic activity due to its distance from plate boundaries. This is contradicted by the fact that New Jersey has had several small earthquakes since 2020 and there have been over 188 earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 2.5 within a radius of just under 300 miles around New York City in the last half century alone, which is more than any other region in the US except California. Lastly, while it's true that scientists cannot predict when earthquakes will occur and researchers can only review scientific data to calculate probabilities for future events, this does not mean that infrastructure built here isn't at risk of damage during an earthquake. The article implies otherwise but fails to provide any evidence or expert opinions on the matter.
The author claims that Friday's earthquake was a shallow earthquake because it occurred at a depth of zero to 70 kilometers below ground, however according to the USGS report cited in the article itself, this quake had an epicenter depth of only 5 kilometers which is considered very shallow for an earthquake.
The author implies that infrastructure built here isn't at risk of damage during an earthquake but fails to provide any evidence or expert opinions on the matter.
The author claims that New Jersey has not experienced significant long-term seismic activity due to its distance from plate boundaries. However, there have been over 188 earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 2.5 within a radius of just under 300 miles around New York City in the last half century alone.
Fallacies
(70%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(70%)
The article contains several examples of bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes white supremacists and portrays them as celebrating the earthquake. This is an example of religious bias.
> Fridays earthquake was the first many Northeasterners had ever felt.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has multiple conflicts of interest on the topics provided. The article discusses Scott Brandenberg and his work with the USGS in relation to earthquakes in New York and New Jersey. Additionally, the article mentions Pennsylvania and Southeastern New York as areas affected by earthquakes.
The article discusses how earthquakes in Pennsylvania and Southeastern New York are related to those in New Jersey
The author references Scott Brandenberg's work with the USGS on fault systems beneath the Northeast
