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Shutdown myths find home on social media

Heard the one about Obama shutting down the ocean? Heard the one about Obama shutting down the ocean?

Heard the one about Obama shutting down the ocean?

Jon Greenberg
By Jon Greenberg October 7, 2013
Angie Drobnic Holan
By Angie Drobnic Holan October 7, 2013
Amy Sherman
By Amy Sherman October 7, 2013

The shutdown has been going on for a week now, and the claims in social media are starting to get a little extreme. We recently looked at two statements floating around the Twitterverse:

The Obama administration shut down the Amber Alert program because of the government shutdown. Our fact-check looked at how the Amber Alert program actually works: It's a state-based program, and two Amber Alerts were issued while the government was in shutdown. We rated the claim False.

The Obama administration shut down the ocean. This far-reaching claim is based on closures at the national parks. Officials have restricted access to Florida Bay, a body of water that's part of a national park. But a bay is a bazillion gallons short of the whole ocean. We rated the statement False.

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Shutdown myths find home on social media