And then, leaning into the camera: “There. Is that cute enough for you?”

Hilde posted the video on Sunday. Within days it had become a sensation, with numerous news outlets writing or broadcasting stories about her.

Her father, Matthew Lysiak, 38, said the family had been so inundated with calls that he shut off the phone. But later they began to make the rounds at news agencies. On Thursday, Hilde and her mother, Bridget Reddan, 38, appeared on “Good Morning America.” Later that day, Hilde and her family got an impromptu tour of the newsroom at The New York Times.

Mr. Lysiak, a former crime reporter for The Daily News, said that his daughter was exposed to journalism through his work and that she was “obsessed” with reporting on vandalism in her neighborhood. In turn, she developed grass-roots sources in the area and gained people’s trust — which is how she got the scoop about the death on Ninth Street.

He said he and his wife were most proud of the way Hilde faced the criticism.

“It’s one thing to get a great scoop, but you’ll find adversity all through your life like that,” said Mr. Lysiak, who “lightly” edits her articles and helps edit the headlines.

The family lived in Brooklyn before moving in 2014 to Selinsgrove, a Pennsylvania borough of about 5,800 people that is about 50 miles north of Harrisburg. Mr. Lysiak said that Hilde shadowed him on assignments in New York City.

Hilde and her sister Isabel, 12, are home-schooled; their other sisters are 18 months and 4. Mr. Lysiak and Ms. Reddan said they gave their daughters the freedom to pursue their passions under the theory that when they are engaged, they learn.