I am compelled to strongly condemn the recent reporting by the Jamaica Observer concerning the Blue Lagoon, which has created a misleading and distorted narrative about access to one of Portland’s most treasured natural landmarks.

Let me be clear: the issue is not whether persons can physically enter portions of the property. The issue is that the Blue Lagoon is not currently open for free public use and enjoyment in the manner that Portlanders and Jamaicans alike have historically known and exercised. To suggest otherwise is misleading and ignores the very concerns that have given rise to years of public debate, litigation, and advocacy.

The video now circulating online does not settle the question of public access. In the footage, the narrator states that he visited the attraction to “check out the access” and concluded that there was access available. However, the existence of some form of entry does not mean that the longstanding concerns regarding unrestricted public access, traditional use, and public rights have been resolved. Those are the issues at the heart of the dispute.

What is equally troubling is the attempt to present a complex and contested matter as though it has been conclusively determined. The public deserves journalism that informs, not reporting that oversimplifies and misleads. The Blue Lagoon is not just another tourist site; it is a national treasure and should be treated with the seriousness and dignity that a national monument deserves.

I must also address the broader context. For far too long, the Blue Lagoon access issue has been clouded by confusion, litigation, and public misrepresentation. Rafters have been barred from the property, and that fact alone raises serious questions about fairness, access, and who has been permitted to benefit from a national asset that, in spirit, belongs to the people of Portland and Jamaica. These are matters that should be examined carefully and honestly, not reduced to sensational headlines or simplistic conclusions.

There are also critical questions surrounding the historic road access to the Blue Lagoon. Portlanders know that a traditional public route is closed after a certain point each day, raising legitimate concerns about who has the legal authority to restrict access and under what rights such restrictions are being imposed. These are not trivial matters. They go to the very heart of whether public rights have been diminished over time and whether access that was once freely enjoyed by generations of Jamaicans has been unlawfully or improperly curtailed.

Equally concerning is the issue of privately paid security personnel operating in and around areas traditionally accessed by the public. The people of Portland deserve answers as to the authority under which these security guards act, the extent of their powers, and whether members of the public are being discouraged, restricted, or prevented from accessing areas to which they may have lawful rights. These concerns cannot simply be brushed aside by a superficial claim that access exists. The real question is whether access is free, meaningful, unrestricted, and consistent with the rights historically enjoyed by the public.

There are also concerns in the public domain about concrete structures being dangerously close to the lagoon, including structures associated with high-profile individuals and prominent Jamaicans. If those concerns are accurate, then the public has every right to ask how such development was allowed around a site that should be preserved and protected as a national monument. The people of Portland deserve transparency, accountability, and respect for the natural heritage they have fought to defend.

The Jamaica Observer owes the public a duty to correct the record. I am therefore calling on the persons responsible for these misleading publications to do the responsible thing and retract both articles. Where the public record is distorted, the harm is not merely reputational; it is cultural, economic, environmental, and legal.

Portlanders know the truth. They know that the Blue Lagoon is not presently available for free public use in the way it once was. They know that concerns regarding access remain unresolved. They know that questions surrounding the closure of traditional road access remain unanswered. They know that privately paid security guards have become part of the access controversy. They know that rafters have been excluded. And they know that the courts, after due process, will reveal all.

I urge all media houses to exercise greater care, greater accuracy, and greater responsibility when reporting on matters of public heritage and community access. The Blue Lagoon belongs to a story larger than any headline, and that story must be told honestly, fairly, and in its full