First ABC News Bulletin - President Reagan assassination attempt shooting - Frank Reynolds

[xxdonaldqxxx]

After reporting that James Brady was dead but then found out Brady was alive Frank Reynolds said "Let's get it nailed down...somebody...let's find out! Let's get it straight so we can report this thing accurately!" As he was saying it he was probably thinking something like "These stupid assholes who fucked up and told me false information are making me look like a blithering idiot.

[eurohim]

This proves that the 22lr isn't a joke.

[Nominay]

The agents reacted so superbly that day. There is such a stark contrast between this and what happened to Kennedy.

[boyinthedrain]

@Nominay

They learned from what happened at Kennedy

[Nominay]

@boyinthedrain pfft, learned what, learned to care?

[boyinthedrain]

@Nominay

Learned how to do their job better

[88mphsss]

His voice seems so creeped out, he knows he's covering something big and just wants to get it right. He does a great job of making you feel connected to what's going on.

[IamtheBurceDickenson]

Frank Reynolds lost his cool that day

[sabster74]

Hinckley should have been pumped full of lead right on the spot. Because the American justice system sucks; our tax dollars paying for his three squares a day, that SOB.

[realgodischucknorris]

@sabster74 Tens of thousands of non-violent pot users in jail, fine with paying for that. Letting one guy rot in jail instead of killing him and giving him the easy way out, just unthinkable.

[luridplanet]

At :18 I heard somebody yell "you motherfucker"

[genenco1]

@luridplanet Good catch!!

[daveverplank]

Frank Reynolds was a class act.

[mrtrin]

MR. WHEAT!!!

*shots fired*

OOOOOOOOOOOW I'm shot...

[otosflashymoon]

Ahhhh...the CLACK CLACK CLACK sound of the teletypes in the background.

[vitoduval]

CNN also incorrectly reported that Gabrielle Giffords had died I was hoping the CNN anchor would have yelled at the news staff too.

[Bloodybunny]

@al3xdelano I've never seen it again either, but I VERY distinctly remember that it was Jim Brady they had incorrectly reported as dead. Pretty much everyone else also reported it, but Frank was already seething from having related so much incorrect information earlier about the President having been "not wounded" that he REALLY flipped out over the Brady mistake.

[Bloodybunny]

@Moldytoastermedia Welcome to the wonderful world of VHS!

[MoldytoasterMedia]

this video looks like shit. my cell phone camera has better quality than this.

[luridplanet]

@MoldytoasterMedia But the quality of guns was the same

[al3xdelano]

I was in the Navy, aboard the Carrier John F. Kennedy. I saw this on the TV of the officer's wardroom live as it happened. I do distinctly remember that Frank Reynolds had reported that someone died, then shortly recanted, displaying his anger at the ABC news staff that had fed him the wrong information. I've never seen this re-broadcast.

[gweijai]

Frank Reynolds was in way over his head that day. Not up to the job.

[MyChuckp]

@gweijai baloney!! He was the best of the best.

[dgrz1]

@gweijai I heard a story that Frank Reynolds' son who was also a reporter was at the scene of the shooting and he was worried about his son.

[wheelingtunnel]

This news story was from 1981, but note the end of this clip. "This has been a BULLETIN from ABC News Washington. We now resume our regular program schedule".

Why would ABC News be using "BULLETIN" in 1981 instead of the more familiar "SPECIAL REPORT" label?

[polybi5]

@wheelingtunnel Networks usually use the term Bulletin in truly high profiles situations, such as a President being shot or killed, from my understanding. I think the reason Bulleitin was not used during 9/11 is that it started as a story about a really bad plane crash that led to a really bad fire...it just escalated to the horrific story we know. IMHO.

[auntbecky]

As they were to find out later the President was indeed hit and quite seriously injured.

[slash177]

Thanks for posting this. I was 14 and home sick from school and watched this live. It seems like yesterday, but it has been thirty years!

[Captmiloman]

Just two years after this broadcast, Frank Reynolds passed away which was a shock to a lot of viewers I'm sure.