With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
L.A. Times' 'Quakebot' Erroneously Reports Massive Earthquake From 1925
(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
At about 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, there came news from the L.A. Times about a massive earthquake. The report said that a 6.8 temblor had just struck the Santa Barbara area. To give you a sense of scope, the 1994 Northridge Quake was of a magnitude 6.7— this one was bigger.
The event spelled great danger, but...no one felt anything. Outside, the birds kept chirping, and motorists sat idly in gridlock traffic. Everything was as usual. What happened? It turned out that "Quakebot," the Times' automated earthquake reporter (it actually gets its own byline), had relayed a bit of false information from the U.S. Geological Survey. That 6.8 quake had actually happened in 1925.
Wait, what?
Let's backtrack. Quakebot is actually an algorithm that was designed by a journalist and programmer for the L.A. Times, according to Slate. Whenever the USGS sends out a report of a quake that's above a certain size, Quakebot takes that data and plugs it into a pre-written template, and voila, we have an article about an earthquake.
Sponsored message
Except something went wrong this time around. The Times retracted the story about the 6.8 quake almost as soon as it'd gone up. "The quake appears to have been from 1925," said the Times.
The problem seems to have started when the USGS sent out a false alert:
Alerts were sent for a M6.8 in California. This was an error. More information to come.
— USGS (@USGS) June 22, 2017
And here's the report itself:
No 6.8 earthquake in Santa Barbara area, USGS sent out a mistake. Pic of email sent out below is a mistake. No quake felt here in SB. pic.twitter.com/p5MTF86Gjv
— Claire Flores (@ClaireTVnews) June 21, 2017
The Times later explained what had happened: it turns out that a Caltech staffer, while trying to correct the location of the 1925 quake, had accidentally sent out an alert for that quake in the process. Those with a keen eye (or those who bothered to read the report) would have seen that the quake was described as happening in 2025, which would have aroused suspicions immediately. After the report was sent out, Quakebot did its job and relayed it back to us feeble humans. So that's how it all went down.
Anyway, there's no massive earthquake! We'll all having an OK day, though it may be a rough one for a certain non-sentient reporter.
Sponsored message
LAist reached out to the USGS, but no one was immediately available for comment.
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
