Liberty Line does not publish a claim on a single source's word. Here is what verification actually requires.
Wherever possible, a factual claim — a date, a name, an address — is confirmed against at least two independent sources before it is marked Verified. A single newspaper mention or a single family recollection is a strong lead, not yet a verified fact.
When sources disagree, the team notes the disagreement rather than silently picking one version. Record entries may include a research note explaining what is contested and why.
A large share of African American history was deliberately undocumented or destroyed. Marking a record Needs verification is a form of honesty, not incompleteness to be hidden — it tells the visitor exactly where the team's confidence currently stands.
Descendant families and community members are often the best check on the written record. Liberty Line treats corrections from the community as a primary input to the verification process, not an afterthought.