Research discipline
How we verify
This documentary is being made to broadcaster compliance standards. Every factual statement moves through the same route: claim, evidence, corroboration, sign-off.
Editorial principles
- No claim reaches the finished film on a single uncorroborated source.
- Primary records outrank published summaries; published summaries outrank recollection.
- Oral testimony is valued and labelled as testimony, not as documentary proof.
- Where accounts conflict, the film shows the conflict rather than choosing silently.
- No individual is described as the first settler without documentary evidence.
- Living people are covered fairly, accurately and with a right of reply.
- The community is never described as arriving with nothing.
Verification statuses
- Verified
- Corroborated by at least two independent sources and cleared for broadcast.
- Partly verified
- Some elements are evidenced; the remainder is still open.
- Unverified
- A line of enquiry. Draft, verification required — must not be quoted as history.
- Disputed
- Sources conflict. The film will present the conflict rather than resolve it silently.
- Incorrect
- Evidence does not support the claim. It will not be used.
- Requires legal review
- Held for legal assessment before any editorial decision.
- Personal testimony only
- Supported by recollection alone and labelled on screen as testimony.
Source hierarchy
- 01Legislation
- 02Parliamentary record
- 03Census
- 04Immigration record
- 05Newspaper
- 06School record
- 07Charity record
- 08Council record
- 09Company record
- 10University record
- 11Official record
- 12Letter
- 13Passport
- 14Photograph
- 15Recorded interview
- 16Family document
- 17Mosque record
- 18Book
- 19Article
Archives and holders consulted
- British Pathé
- BBC Archive
- ITN Source
- BFI National Archive
- Imperial War Museums
- Getty Images
- Alamy Editorial
- Reuters Connect
- AP Archive
- Parliamentary Archives
- The National Archives
- Lancashire Archives
- Bolton Archives
- Blackburn with Darwen Council archives
- Manchester Libraries
- University archives
- Local newspaper archives
- Mosque and school archives
- Vahora Voice
- BVUK
- Mahek
- Family photograph collections
- Community VHS recordings
- Super 8 film
- Audio cassettes
Published source register
Sources are being catalogued.
Corrections
If you hold evidence that contradicts anything published here, we want it. Corrections are logged against the specific claim, reviewed by the research lead and the executive producer, and the public record is updated with the change noted.