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GBMWolverine Investigates The Facts: “You’re a joke”

By Tyler Fenwick

Nov 5, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; A Michigan Wolverines fans dressed as a Storm Trooper is seen during the game between the Wolverines and the Maryland Terrapins at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; A Michigan Wolverines fans dressed as a Storm Trooper is seen during the game between the Wolverines and the Maryland Terrapins at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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A Twitter user recently called GBMWolverine a “joke,” so we’re going to do our civic duty and investigate the merits of this claim.

Part of what we’re going to be doing here at GBMWolverine from now on is fact checking claims we come across, whether they’re found on Twitter, another website or anywhere else we may find interesting claims.

Related Story: Beating Ohio State would be worth a couple wins

We’re going to be working with ratings ranging from “True” to “Fake News.”

Here’s what they look like, in order:

  1. True
  2. Mostly True
  3. Half True
  4. Mostly False
  5. Fake News

We’re starting with a tweet that was sent to us regarding this opinion piece that says Grant Perry should not be part of the Michigan football program right now.

There are a few different things happening here, but we’re mainly going to focus on that last part: “You’re a joke.”

Merriam-Webster defines the word joke as “something said or done to provoke laughter.” We will work with that strict definition for this evaluation and make practical adjustments as needed.

If you head to the About section at GBMWolverine.com, there isn’t a mention of the site saying or doing anything to provoke laughter.

More from GBMWolverine

"Welcome to GBMWolverine, the Michigan Wolverines news and opinions site brought to you by the FanSided Network. GBMWolverine is dedicated to providing top-notch Wolverines news, views, and original content. This site also serves as a community for like-minded fans to come together to catch up on the latest news and to discuss their passion."

However, this doesn’t tell the full story. Last offseason, I personally opened a series of satirical articles that were obviously meant to draw laughter, or at least a chuckle. Here’s one about Harbaugh being banned from the Michigan sideline for the 2016 season, and another about Jabrill Peppers being a confirmed demigod.

The bottom of the Harbaugh story makes it clear that it is of a satirical brand, while the Peppers story does not.

Still, those stories make up a very small minority of what we publish, and the tweet in question seems to be making a general statement about our quality of takes. So while the satire is worth mentioning, it doesn’t appear to be immediately relevant to the claim.

For that, we rate this claim:

Mostly False

While there isn’t anything to indicate GBMWolverine is a “joke,” there’s the small matter of the website actually containing some satirical articles that are meant to be light-hearted.

Next: Top 10 running backs in Michigan history

Come back for more fact checking in the future.

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