Nine year old reporter divides opinion in Pennsylvania
A nine-year old reporter who made headlines of her own after covering a suspected murder in her home town in Pennsylvania has defended her work in the face of criticism from some that at such a young age she would be better ‘playing with dolls’.
Hilde Kate Lysiak set up the Orange Street News website and newspaper in 2014 and got her first big break after receiving a tip-off about police investigating a suspected murder in the small town of Selinsgrove.
Travelling to the scene Lysiak posted a story and video clip on her website alleging that a man had killed his wife with a hammer under the banner ‘Exclusive: murder on Ninth Street!’
What followed was a barrage of criticism with commentators suggesting that Lysoak was too young for such work and the former mayor of Selinsgrove, Sean Christine, dismissed the article as ‘sensationalist trash’.
In a video retort Lysiak responded: “I know this makes some of you uncomfortable, and I know some of you just want me to sit down and be quiet because I’m nine.
“But if you want me to stop covering news, then you get off your computer and do something about the news. There, is that cute enough for you?”