Pennsylvania's Hilde Kate Lysiak, 9, scooped out professional media outlets when she was first to report on a murder that happened a few blocks from her home. But instead of getting praises for her intuitiveness, she was criticized online. Many say that she had no business doing the report, but her parents are standing by her.
Hilde posted the murder story on her website, Orange Street News, along with a video of her account of the incident. Just like what any good reporter does, she took statements from witnesses and the police and was pretty confident she did an amazing job.
However, comments from her Facebook and YouTube page were soon trickled with negativity, with some saying she's supposed to be playing with dolls instead of pretending to be a journalist. She was also called out for not being cute. So, Hilde addressed her critics in another video and also wrote a piece on The Guardian. She states, "Yes, I am a nine-year-old girl. But I'm a reporter, first."
The parents of Hilde are rallying behind their 9-year-old. Her father is journalist and playwright, Matthew Lysiak, who has influenced Hilde's curiosity by often bringing her and her sisters to the scene of the action. She's used to seeing sensitive real-life scenarios from her father's work. "What a lot of people don't realize is how Hilde grew up. She's a different sort of kid," he told Today.
The Lysiaks tried to protect Hilde from the criticisms, but they also know that it's important for their child to learn about the reactions. More than her scoop, they're glad about the way their daughter is handling her critics. In fact, she posed a challenged to them saying, "For those of you who think I need to mind my place, I'll make you a deal. You get off your computer and do something to stop all the crime going on in my town and I'll stop reporting on it."
Watch Hilde Kate Lysiak's full statement to her critics below:
