Nine-Year-Old Reporter Counters Critics Who Slam Her For Homicide Coverage

Nine-year-old Hilde Kate Lysiak is a reporter who already runs her own newspaper, called the Orange Street News, in which she covers local events. But recently she was pained when critics and internet trolls challenged her.

When Hilde had got a tip-off about heavy police activity in Selinsgrove, Pa, last Saturday, she rushed to the spot to get her interviews and write an exclusive about the incident. But suddenly, there seemed to be a barrage of criticism in her newspaper's Facebook and YouTube pages.

Many readers from her community are reportedly disgusted with her precocious coverage.

"I am disgusted that this cute little girl thinks she is a real journalist What happened to tea parties?" one commenter wrote.

"Nine-year-old girls should be playing with dolls, not trying to be reporters," another said.

Some of them attacked her for her age.

"You are nine f*****g years old. What the f**k is wrong with you?" yet another comment read.

Lysiak, though, is not upset and continues to stand her ground. On Sunday, Lysiak, with the help of her 12-year-old sister Isabel, her videographer, talked to her critics.

She said  that she was a scribe, so she had to get the truth out quickly, while other "adult" newspapers always reported the "wrong news," or did not bother about the event.

She was stern to her critics too.

"If you want me to stop covering news, then you get off your computers and do something about the news. There, is that cute enough for you?" she said.

She had been inspired by Matthew Lysiak, an earlier journalist for the New York Daily News, in which he reported national breaking news stories. Hilde liked it so much that she picked up the pen from him.

When just seven, she started the Orange Street News. At 8, she reported on borough and council meetings, also interviewing business owners.

She is deep into investigative journalism, and has covered the local homicide, as well as the story of a vandal who was damaging city property.

Lysiak has thus built up a big fan following along with her list of critics.