The fall of the wall
When I think of a brick wall, I conjure up a picture in my head of a solid structure that is unable to be penetrated by anyone. Unlike walls made of wood or other less sturdy materials, a brick wall is staunch, secure and unable to be scaled by anyone who the builder of the wall deems inappropriate.
If you think about it, a brick wall doesn’t just go up overnight. Instead, the builders of the wall carefully lay one brick after the other, cementing each as they go. If it’s done correctly, the end result will be a structure that doesn’t allow anyone or anything to see or discover what’s happening on the other side of that brick wall.
As a newspaper, we run into proverbial brick walls all the time. We’re used to them, and in a way only a journalist can understand, those brick walls can be a welcoming challenge. When individuals, boards, public bodies or politicians build brick walls around themselves, it requires a reporter to become creative and develop ingenious ways to see what’s lurking behind those bricks.
You might wonder why I used the word “lurking.” From countless experiences in my repertoire of reporting stories, I’ve come to realize what lies behind brick walls is usually less than wonderful. Individuals, boards, public bodies, politicians and the like who build brick walls around themselves usually do so for just a couple of reasons — they are either covering something up and are afraid of others learning the truth, or they are so arrogant they believe others don’t have a right to know their actions and how they’ll ultimately impact others and/or the people they represent. I’ve seen a lot of brick walls in my day, and I’ve never seen a brick wall constructed for any other reason. The thesaurus on my computer describes the word lurking as “sliding, snaking, creeping, stealing, gliding, prowling, sneaking, slinking and pussy footing ... So yes, “lurking” behind brick walls seems to be the correct word.
From my experience, those who build brick walls do so out of fear. Some may say they’re building their brick wall within the parameters of the law, but 99.9 percent of the time, that statement translates to being afraid — afraid of how the public will perceive them or their actions; afraid of being found out they have acted in a less than honorable manner; afraid of repercussions their actions will generate; afraid of being removed from office; afraid people will realize they aren’t who they say they are ...
Brick walls are usually constructed for and because of the media. Those who build the walls want to keep those nosy members of the media out. But here’s the dangerous part of that scenario ... Keeping the media out means the public is not informed, which is ultimately the goal of the brick wall builder — as long as the public is in the dark, life is good and shenanigans behind that brick wall can continue.
But one thing everyone has to remember is that a brick wall is only as good, only as solid as the people who build it. If you build a brick wall for less than credible reasons, the integrity of that wall is ultimately compromised, which means the chances of that wall crumbling down are extremely great. In fact, it’s inevitable. That’s right. Brick walls always come down, even though the brick wall builders are usually too arrogant to realize it.
Sometimes you have to be patient, though. A good journalist knows that ... he/she understands a brick wall built for the wrong reasons will always crumble and crash to the ground. Remember ... it’s inevitable. Without exception, it always happens. Always.
Patience, my friends. Patience.
