"I hope local journalists will not dance to the tune of their foreign counterparts. There are local journalists who think too highly of the foreign media, and to me, this demonstrates their inferiority complex," he said when launching the Malaysia Creative competition organised by Bernama here today.

Referring to the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) article titled "Malaysia Rejects Christian Appeal" on the Lina Joy's court decision carried on its news portal yesterday, he said the piece was inaccurate and sensationalised.

The Federal Court yesterday dismissed the appeal of Lina Joy, born Azlina Jailani, to drop the word "Islam" from her identity card.

Zainuddin said the reality was that Malaysia depended on the social contract between its various ethnic groups to achieve its current progress and prosperity.

He said the borderless world nowadays exposed the people to inaccurate and irresponsible news and information that could hurt feelings and lead to disunity.

"It's not easy to overcome this problem but we can educate our younger generation to make them understand about the country's aspirations so that they value the true meaning of independence and harmony," he added.

Admitting that the authorities would not be able to completely ward off attempts to colonise the minds of the people, he said continuous efforts must be made to mould a society which loved the country, possessed noble values and exercised tolerance in a multi-racial population.

On the Malaysia Creative competition, the minister said the ministrywelcomed the initiative as it would provide an opportunity for people to give their own interpretations of the country's independence and unveil their hidden talents.

Held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the country's independence, the competition comes in three categories - creative writing, creative photography and creative cartoons.

Among the prizes are free creative courses, a scooter and hotel-stay packages. Further information is available on the Bernama website at www.bernama.com.