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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNine-Year-Old Reporter Criticized for Breaking News of Town Tragedy
Nine-year-old Hilde Kate Lysiak is the sole journalist of Orange Street News, the only publication devoted exclusively to covering the events of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania (population 5,000). Hildes favorite beat to report on is crime, and shes written extensively about vandalism, drug use, and harassment in Selinsgrove. Regular Orange Street News readers know that Hilde often covers serious subject matter that might seem incongruous with her age, but when the nine-year-old was the first reporter on the scene of a murder in Selinsgrove last weekend, some local residents were scandalized.
Last Saturday afternoon, after hearing rumors that police had finally caught a Selinsgrove vandal shes written about in the past, Hilde headed down to the police station to get confirmation. Instead, Hildes father says, the police chief told her Ive got a big story, Ive gotta go. Hilde consulted with a source she has in the town (the nine-year-old told The Washington Post I got a good tip from a source and I was able to confirm it), and learned the police were investigating a murder on Ninth Street, a few blocks from her house. The first reporter to arrive on the scene, Hilde talked to neighbors then went home to write up a breaking news item which her father, a former reporter for The Daily News, put on the Orange Street News for her. She then went back to Ninth Street and gathered enough information to publish a full story, a video, and photos on the site hours ahead of The Daily Item, a local paper which reports on Selinsgrove as well as the rest of Susquehanna Valley.
Hildes father described what happened that day for The Washington Post:
Because shes the only one doing community news, shes developed sources who trust her to cover the news. One of her sources contacted her, and she was able to confirm it with law enforcement. She knocked on every door, like shed seen me do with the Daily News. There were no other reporters there.
http://www.themarysue.com/orange-street-news/
Arkansas Granny
(31,530 posts)And her critics can just cool it.
AxionExcel
(755 posts)hereforthevoting
(241 posts)Seems to me MSM has a reason to expect serious competition.
chalky
(3,297 posts)Hilde addressed the communitys concerns, ending by telling her critics: 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?
Vinca
(50,303 posts)And here I thought journalism was lost forever.
meow2u3
(24,773 posts)And the adults who should cover the news are too busy covering the area where the sun don't shine to care. The adults are the ones who need to grow up and quit being jealous of a 9-year-old kid.
Fast Walker 52
(7,723 posts)intheflow
(28,501 posts)ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)This must be the part of Pennsylvania that's still stuck in the 50s:
9 year old girls should be playing with dolls, not trying to be reporters.
progressoid
(49,999 posts)Love her response:
Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)yuiyoshida
(41,861 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)LittleGirl
(8,291 posts)She will be a strong woman some day soon! Cheers!
JackInGreen
(2,975 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)d_legendary1
(2,586 posts)as she keeps getting experience. Hopefully she'll show the media a thing or two about actual reporting.
dhill926
(16,355 posts)christx30
(6,241 posts)She needs a full scholarship to journalism school.
And, frankly, the world needs someone with her brains and drive. Go Hilde!
surrealAmerican
(11,364 posts)That kid is a force to be reckoned with.
Ezlivin
(8,153 posts)This young lady embodies that fierce, journalistic drive.
hopemountain
(3,919 posts)as a 9 yr old i also wanted to be a journalist. after winning a school wide essay contest during times when children were 'tracked', one teacher asked me what i wanted to be. i answered, "i want to be a news reporter and a doctor." the teacher answered, "how about a secretary? wouldn't you rather be a secretary?".
our country and our planet need young people like hilde. they will be inheriting what we leave them on this planet and they are going to need every bit of human talent to survive whatever that will be.
Calista241
(5,586 posts)brettdale
(12,384 posts)I bet if a nine year old male broke the story he would be celebrated.
Hekate
(90,793 posts)....a great newshawk! Hurray Hilde!
Melurkyoulongtime
(136 posts)that child should be given a medal. Not just for breaking the story but for being the ONLY soul in that town reporting exclusively FOR that town. I partially grew up in a town of less than 2400 and we had 2 papers; 1 was a weekly shopper type rag but the other actually reported town & surrounding area news.
She not only has gumption she's going to go places. I hope its somewhere her talent and skills are appreciated.
PJMcK
(22,048 posts)She may be our next Molly Ivans.
Avalon Sparks
(2,566 posts)She is absolutely amazing!
Some folks mentioned Helen Thomas and Molly Ivins - yes indeed!!!
muriel_volestrangler
(101,361 posts)...
Residents of Selinsgrove publicly called my work trash and told me I should leave it to the professionals. Other people told me I should stick to tea parties and playing with dolls.
Maybe thats what the professionals were doing while I was working the scene, because they sure werent there. I have since found out that the police had asked the media not to run the story. I may be nine, but I have learned that my job as a reporter is to get the truth to the people. I work for them, not the police. I think that some people are angry that I didnt follow along like everyone else.
My parents and I have also been warned that covering this story meant my reporting was no longer cute. I dont think people should be able to decide for me who I should be and what I should be doing. I never began my newspaper so that people would think I was cute. I started the Orange Street News to give people the information they need to know.
I want to be taken seriously. Im sure other kids do, too. Grownups usually treat kids like they cannot do anything great. If adults dont think we can do something, then it is hard for us to believe that we can. And then how will we have great things in this world?
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/06/nine-year-old-reporter-orange-street-news-truth
Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)Someone tell Hilde to tell the Mayor that he should be fired. Now that's a story I would love to read about.