The Black History Room is a history publication. Accuracy comes first: a story that is not well sourced is not published.
Sources
Every important factual claim is checked against at least two independent, reliable sources. We prefer:
- primary sources: letters, records, newspapers, photographs and official documents of the time;
- archives and libraries, such as the Library of Congress and the National Archives;
- museums, such as the Smithsonian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture;
- universities, peer-reviewed research and reputable books by historians.
Wikipedia can help us find sources, but it is never the only source for an important claim. Each article lists its sources at the end.
Fact, interpretation, dispute and legend
We keep these apart and label them in the text when it matters:
- Verified facts are supported by reliable sources.
- Historical interpretation is how historians explain or judge the facts; we say whose view it is.
- Disputed claims are points where sources or historians disagree; we say so and give both sides.
- Legends and myths are stories that are widely repeated but not supported by evidence; we label them clearly.
We do not publish quotes we cannot trace to a reliable source. Many popular quotes attributed to famous figures are not genuine.
Images
We use real historical photographs and documents that are in the public domain or properly licensed, and we credit them. We do not use AI-generated images of real historical people.
AI-assisted work and human review
We may use software, including AI tools, to help find sources, organise research, draft text or prepare images that do not depict real people. AI is never treated as a source. Every story is fact-checked and approved by a person before it is published; automated tools can only create drafts.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we fix it and say so. See our Corrections Policy.