First and foremost, we stand with all impacted. Period.

 

At no time has Converge Media as a company or anyone directly associated with Converge Media defended any of Jake’s actions. 

 

Converge Media is a 6-year-old company centered in the voice of Black women and those most marginalized in our community and has earned the respect and trust of not only our legacy Black community members but also new members who joined our community following the Seattle Protests we respect and uplift all community members. That being said, trading on the Converge Media name by anyone who is gaining access to our community members either financially or emotionally based on the use of Converge Media’s name is totally unacceptable and is not tolerated, ever. 

 

Once our senior leadership team (comprised of 5 women and 2 men) had a clear understanding of the issue we acted immediately to sever our relationship with Jake who was a freelance photographer with Converge Media on March 4, 2022.

 

After severing ties with Jake, we looked at several things internally regarding issues directly regarding our policies, practices, or company premises including but not limited to:

 

Did Converge Media do a good job managing inbound communication regarding Jake 

  • No - Although we were expedient in managing inbound official communication via our website, we could have done a better job via our social platforms. We use our platforms for distribution and not engagement and at the time did not have a social management agency so many messages were not answered. Additionally, several staff members were personally being threatened via social platforms at the same time which clouded the overall communication stream.

Did Converge Media give a timely response?

  • No - It took a while for us to get a full understanding internally and because of this we were delayed in our response and initial statement to community.

Did Converge Media knowingly “Shelter” Jake after severing the relationship?

  • No - Once we were aware we acted immediately to update all partners that Jake was no longer working with Converge Media

Was Converge Media compliant with the State Government regarding Child Support withholding and remittance? 

  • Yes - Converge was in total compliance with State Government

Did Converge Media “Allow Access” for Jake?

  • At Converge we have 13 freelance photographers/videographers we work with as well as 10 on-air talents including our Queens of Converge. We uplift all of them, the uplift is part and parcel of what we do at Converge. Did Jake benefit from the Converge uplift? Yes, more than any other photographer or on-air talent? No.

 

What has come out of this internal review is that Converge Media has adapted some best practices moving forward to help us more effectively communicate with community members and also clearly indicate to community who is part of our core team and who is not.



Call Center 24/7

  • To cut through any clutter of the internet we have a dedicated call center in which anyone with a concern can call 24/7 this will allow us to immediately respond to urgent concerns from the community. 206-401-9954

  • Social Media Management

  • We have engaged a social media management firm to monitor more efficiently management inboxes and comments across platforms.

Enhanced Email Routing via Website

  • For those who choose to use our website to communicate, emails are now forwarded to all senior leadership as opposed to a single person managing the mailbox.

Background Check all Freelancers 

  • As Converge Media continues to grow from a grassroots outlet serving the Central District of Seattle to a larger platform serving the Emerald City and beyond and thus, we are working with more new people although for our core team background checks are standard, we are now requiring background checks for all freelance photographers and contributors as well.

Website Update with Core Staff and Freelancers 

  • On September 1st (or sooner) our website will be updated to clearly indicate to the public core members of the Converge Media leadership and team, on-air talent, producers, and directors, as well as freelance photographers and videographers so the public can always know who they are engaging with and what role they play at Converge Media.

 

Thank you to those of you who reached out and thank you to those that we have spoken to directly over the past few months either by phone, email, or in person. You taking the time to speak with us played a key role in determining the way forward. For those of you who want to continue the conversation, we are here for you. 

 

Community, thank you for your patience, this update was delayed heavily by COVID as well as taking time to listen and determine best practices and implementation. 

 

#BlackMediaMatters