VOA慢速英语2016--九岁小记者披露凶杀案详情

AS IT IS 2016-04-07 Nine-Year-Old Defends Reporting Murder Story 九岁小记者披露凶杀案详情

A 9-year-old reporter is defending her work after people in her small Pennsylvania town criticized¹ her for covering a murder.

They said Hilde Kate Lysiak should be “playing with dolls,” or having “tea parties,” instead of covering a serious crime.

Hilde runs the Orange Street News in her hometown of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, 240 kilometers northwest of Philadelphia.

The young reporter got a “tip” that something happened in her town on April 2. At the scene, she got details of the crime, and later that day,  posted a story and a video clip² on her website, OrangeStreetNews.com.

In the video, she said a man was suspected of murdering his wife with a hammer. Standing³ near a police vehicle, Hilde said, “I’m working hard on this investigation⁴.”

She beat the regular news media to the story.

But soon after she posted her story, the negative comments started on her Facebook page and YouTube channel. People said she should “play with dolls” instead. And they questioned her parents’ judgment⁵ in letting her report the story.

Hilde’s reaction?

"It kind of gets me angry because just because I'm 9 doesn't mean I can't do a great story," she said to the Associated Press. "It doesn't mean I can't be a reporter."

On her YouTube channel, Hilde reads some of the angry comments aimed at her.  She wears a red bow in her hair, and a button that says, “I (love) free speech.”

She smiles after she reads aloud this one, “I am disgusted that this cute little girl thinks she is a journalist. What happened to tea parties?”  

Another critic wrote “nine-year-old girls should be playing with dolls, not trying to be reporters.”

In another video response, Hilde defends her work:

“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," she says. 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?,” she asks.

She has run the Orange Street News since 2014. She gets some help from her father, Matthew Lysiak, a former reporter for the New York Daily News.  Her 12-year-old sister Isabel handles videos and photos.

At first, it was a newspaper for her family, written in crayon. But now it has become a community news provider, with short stories posted on a website and a Facebook page.

Some of the other stories she has reported on have been, drug use by middle school-aged children in a park, and several acts of property damage. Hilde has also written about the many empty storefronts in downtown Selinsgrove.

Matthew Lysiak said the comments on his daughter's stories are usually positive.

Lysiak said when he worked for the Daily News, sometimes he would take her along on the job.

"She found journalism⁶ really interesting, and my older daughter, too," he said. "They would ask lots of questions."

He told the AP that she usually is not bothered by comments, and usually does not read them. But the tea party comment, he said,  "really lit a fuse⁷ under her."

Words in This Story

tip –n. information about a breaking story

negative –adj. harmful or bad

disgusted – n. (past) strong feeling of dislike, annoyed or angered

journalist –n. reporter

crayon –n. a stick of colored wax⁸ for drawing

embraced⁹ –v. to accept someone readily¹⁰ and gladly

lit a fuse – phrase. get someone to react strongly

1 criticized   

vt.批评(criticize的过去式)v.评论，批评( criticize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The decision was criticized by environmental groups. 这个决定受到了环保团体的批评。
• The movie has been criticized for apparently legitimizing violence. 这部电影因明显地美化暴力而受到了指责。

2 clip   

n.夹子，别针，弹夹，片断；vt.夹住，修剪

参考例句：

• May I clip out the report on my performance?我能把报道我的文章剪下来吗？
• She fastened the papers together with a paper clip.她用曲别针把文件别在一起。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

6 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

7 fuse   

n.导火线，引信，保险丝；v.熔，烧断电路

参考例句：

• The metal will fuse at a relatively low temperature.这金属在不太高的温度下熔化。
• This is the right fuse for the refrigerator.这是电冰箱上使用的保险丝。

8 wax   

n.蜡，蜡状物，震怒；vi.变大，增大，月亮满；vt.用蜡涂

参考例句：

• I wax my boots chiefly to waterproof them.我给靴子打蜡主要是为了防水。
• I wax the floor once a month.我每月给地板打一次蜡。

9 embraced   

拥抱( embrace的过去式和过去分词 )； 包括； 包含； 接受

参考例句：

• They embraced and promised to keep in touch. 他们互相拥抱，许诺将保持联系。
• She embraced my offer to go to the hospital. 她接受了我的建议去看医生。

10 readily   

adv.欣然地，容易地，很快地，立即

参考例句：

• I promise all costs will be readily returned.我保证所有的费用会迅速偿还。
• Most plastics do not readily conduct heat or electricity.大多数塑料不易传热或导电。