9-year-old rural reporter who broke murder story fires back at critics who questioned her skills, age

A nine-year old reporter in rural Selinsgrove in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River Valley, who broke the news of a local murder, fired backed at critics who questioned her reporting skills and young age.

Hilde Lysiak posted on Facebook, “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?” Tom Jackman reports for The Washington Post that Lysiak is the brains behind a monthly community newspaper, the Orange Street News, that doesn't shy away from covering the hard news in the town of 5,000. She is responsible for all story ideas, writing, reporting and photography, while her father, Matt, a former New York Daily News reporter, handles editing, typing, layout and printing. (Photo by Matt Lysiak)

In breaking the news of the murder, Hilde not only beat the local newspaper to the punch but also provided video from the scene, Jackman writes. Facebook posters were critical of the story. One wrote, “I think this is appalling that u would do a story like this when all the facts are not in yet," while another wrote, “Does no one realize that this is a 9 year old reporting this type of graphic information! I mean, what parents are encouraging this type of behavior!”

Like any thick-skinned reporter, Hilde isn't too concerned about the criticism, only reporting the news, Jackman writes. She told him, “People thought I should be like playing tea parties or doing something other than being at the crime scene. ... Because of my work, I was able to inform the people that there’s a terrible murder, hours before my competition even got to the scene. In fact some of the adult-run newspapers were reporting the wrong news, or no news at all.”

The Orange Street News, which has a paid subscription of $10, last month "racked up nearly 18,000 page views, driven in part by her investigation of drugs in the middle school," Jackman writes. Hilde told him, “I just like letting people know all the information. It’s just what I really want to do. And crime is definitely my favorite.” She said she learned of the murder story because she 'got a good tip from a source and I was able to confirm it.' Well, that’s how it works." (Best Places map: Selingsgrove) (Read more)