9-Year-Old Reporter Breaks Murder Story, Gets Bullied By Adults

9-year-old girl beats every local news source on reporting a murder story

A 9-year-old from Pennsylvania has a rather unique hobby, considering her age. She’s a reporter. A legitimate reporter with her own website publication. She recently broke the story of a murder, beating all local news outlets. That’s right — instead of playing Minecraft or Shopkins like most kids her age, she’s out on the streets sniffing out leads and taking video footage of crime scenes. Amazing, isn’t it?

Of course, some don’t think so. Instead of lauding her incredible talent, a few shitty adult citizens of her town decided to criticize her for it. Aren’t adults lovely?

Thankfully, Hilde Kate Lysiak of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania isn’t letting the haters get her down. As the editor and publisher of Orange Street News, a web publication dedicated to news happening in her town of about 5,000 people, she has far more important things to do.

According to The Washington Post, Hilde comes by her interest in hard-hitting news honestly — her father, Matthew Lysiak, is an author and former New York Daily News reporter who used to bring her along to investigate stories with him.

After learning from her father how to chase a good news story, Hilde was addicted. That’s why this past Saturday when this tenacious reporter got a tip of “heavy police activity” on Ninth Street, she headed over with the intent of finding out the story. Like a solid reporter would.

Her father says since she’s the only one doing community news, that she has actual sources that trust her with sensitive information. “One of her sources contacted her, and she was able to confirm it with law enforcement. She knocked on every door, like she’d seen me do with the Daily News. There were no other reporters there.”

Once she’d gathered the details, relying on tips from said sources, she published her story online with the headline “EXCLUSIVE: MURDER ON NINTH STREET,” effectively beating out every local news source in Selinsgrove.

Is this not totally impressive? I’m impressed — I’d hardly had a cup of coffee early last Saturday and this kid was pounding the pavement getting the scoop on an actual murder story. She has passion and motivation and ambition and all kinds of other ‘ion’s. This girl is the real deal. But instead of being proud of her accomplishment and encouraging her incredibly cool interest, grown adults decided to rip her apart.

Hilde compiled this completely fantastic video where she reads comments from her asshole adult detractors. Check out the sass and the chill. She has absolutely no time for your shit, grown adult idiots. Check out her video here.

Hilde, I think this is appalling that u would do a story like this when all the facts are not in yet. Have some respect for all parties involved please.

9 year old girls should be playing with dolls, not trying to be reporters.

You are nine fucking years old, what the fuck is wrong with you?

The former mayor of Selinsgrove reportedly called Hilde’s story “sensationalist trash,” but appears to have been deleted. Because some adults are cowards on the internet.

Adults, you guys. Adults bothering to go on Facebook and insult an ambitious, bright, clever 9-year-old girl who actually got the facts right and accurately reported on a murder case before a single “professional” had made it to the scene. This is shameful and sad. Why in the world would anyone react like this to a child doing anything let alone something this noteworthy?

And of course, to cover all the bases, her father claims some have also called his parenting into question. There are those that think Hilde is covering stories too graphic for a 9-year-old to understand. Her father explains that Hilde has accompanied him on trips to housing projects in the Bronx and that she, “doesn’t have a lot of fear. She just wants to get the stories out. And she really wants to report real news.”

Which is amazing. Judging by her cool confidence and steady gives-no-effs demeanor in that video, Hilde has a very bright future ahead of her. The adult losers who feel the need to tear her down can one day read about her winning a Pulitzer from their couches while they continue to insult people on the internet.

As an adult who writes online every day and deals with hatred from anonymous commenters, I can say with total assurance that this kid handles it better than I do. She isn’t letting the mean people who judge her from afar stop her from doing what she loves. We can all take a lesson from how graciously she’s dealing with such a grown-up thing. Anyone who questions her parents only need look to this confident, self-assured and brilliant child to know — they’re doing everything right.

As Hilde so brilliantly sums up, “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?”

We bow down to this fabulous girl. And to the losers swearing at a 9-year-old who publishes her own news stories? Screw right off. This amazing kid has positively not a single minute to worry about you while she’s busy being this cool.