Hilde Kate Lysiak received a tip, hustled to the scene, and beat all local journalists with the news of a murder by posting a short story and video online. Unfortunately for her competitors and critics, Lysiak is a nine-year-old third grader.
Lysiak was recently profiled in The Washington Post and the journalism prodigy already has thicker skin than most adult reporters. Locals bashed Lysiak on Facebook Sunday night after she broke her big story.
One person said they are “disgusted that this cute little girl thinks she is a real journalist,” before asking, “what happened to tea parties?”
Another said Lysiak should be “playing with dolls.”
Lysiak was not only unfazed, but fired back.
“If you want me to stop covering the news, then you get off your computers and do something about the news. There, is that cute enough for you?” Lysiak said when addressing her critics in the above video.
Lysiak’s father is a former New York Daily News reporter who took her to his newsroom at a young age, and she got hooked on chasing stories. She now is the editor and publisher of Orange Street News, a community paper, in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
The future of journalism appears to be in good hands. Last month, Lysiak reportedly racked up 18,000 page views.