Nine-year-old Hilde Kate Lysiak does not dream of being a reporter someday. She already is one. In fact, she already runs and publishes her very own newspaper, dubbed the Orange Street News, where she covers local events. Recently, however, the young reporter faced her greatest challenge yet - critics and internet trolls.
Last Saturday, Hilde received a tip that there was some heavy police activity in her hometown of Selinsgrove, Pa. Ever the journalist, Lysiak immediately went to the scene, interviewed some residents in the area and published an exclusive on her newspaper's site. Soon, her paper's Facebook and YouTube pages became littered with sharp criticisms from people all over.
Some of the harsh comments came from people of the community, with some people criticizing the young reporter for attempting to cover such a serious news piece.
"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 commented.
Other comments were even harsher, featuring ad hominem attacks on the young reporter herself.
"You are nine f*****g years old. What the f**k is wrong with you?," yet another comment read.
Despite the below-the-belt attacks, Lysiak remained unfazed. On Sunday, Lysiak, with the help of her 12-year-old sister Isabel, who works as her videographer, addressed her critics directly.
In her rebuttal, Lysiak pointed out that it was her job as a journalist to get the truth out to people in the fastest way possible. She even emphasized that other "adult" newspapers ended up reporting the "wrong news," while others completely ignored the incident.
After saying her piece, the 9-year-old addressed her critics directly.
"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.
Lysiak's bravado and passion for journalism are widely influenced by her father, Matthew Lysiak, who used to work for the New York Daily News. During his stint with the publication, he covered national breaking news stories, which enamored the young Hilde. It did not take long before the young girl caught the journalism bug.
She launched the Orange Street News when she was just 7. By the time she was 8, she was frequently reporting on borough meetings, council meetings and interviewing business owners about the latest scoop.
Her real passion, however, is investigative journalism. Prior to her controversial piece on the local homicide, Lysiak was intently following the story of a local vandal who was destroying city property.
Her actions, especially her strong response to her critics, were lauded by many. As it is now, it seems like Lysiak's supporters far outnumber those dissenting voices that attempted to bring her down.
