An assassination attempt on Trump: A tale of utter chaos in the newsroom as old as time.

On my way back to Washington from a funeral in Richmond, Va., I learned about the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

While driving to a wedding on Long Island, I discovered the news of the 2012 attempted assassination of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.

At a gym in Alexandria, Va., I discovered about the 2017 attempted assassination of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., during a Congressional baseball practice.

In the sixth grade, after school, I discovered the news of President Reagan's attempted assassination in 1981 while at home.

After the Reagan shooting, I didn't realize that reporting on such incidents would become a routine part of my job. As a result, I have delved deeply into my memory to retrieve details from these events. In fact, these experiences have helped me better understand and contextualize the information I report on today.

In 1981, I was in my Dad's maroon Pacer as we drove to Hamilton, Ohio for my weekly trumpet lesson. We listened to the news coverage on the radio as legendary anchor John Chancellor of NBC announced that "John Hinckley Jr." was the suspected gunman.

Chancellor mentioned that Hinckley had previously worked as a radio disc jockey in Colorado.

The attempted political assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was covered in a chaotic manner, just like many other assassinations. I recall the same level of chaos on the radio when my dad picked me up after school that fall. I was in the 7th grade at the time.

The Reagan shooting was the topic of discussion at school the next day, while the Sadat killing was not mentioned.

My friend at school observed that a newsman almost broke down when he discovered that Reagan was not just shot at, but actually hit.

The Reagan shooting caused chaos, which was evident in the bedlam surrounding Frank Reynolds, the anchor of ABC's World News Tonight, as he reported on the event from the news desk.

In hindsight, reviewing major news events is easy. However, these events are pure chaos in real-time.

Reynolds stated at one point that the president was not struck.

The first draft of history is often inaccurate, but it's not the fault of journalists. It's important to be cautious when reporting information.

Reynolds and Donaldson were covering the Reagan assassination attempt on ABC when they received a yellow slip of paper.

Reynolds and Donaldson examined the sheet as if they were deciphering a foreign code while simultaneously solving an algebra problem.

Reynolds and Donaldson exclaimed in unison, "He was wounded?!?!?!"

Reynolds raised his right palm to his forehead while Donaldson kept his eyes trained on the page and pressed his hand to his lip.

"My God!" said Reynolds.

Reynolds, in disbelief, turned to someone off camera to confirm the accuracy of what he had just said on air to millions.

"The president was hit?" asked Reynolds tersely.

A muted voice off-camera says something about "stable condition."

Reynolds was now volcanic with anger, but trying to keep it together.

He stared off-stage in disbelief as the story suddenly changed direction in a matter of moments.

What thoughts may have been going through Reynolds' mind at that moment? Was it an unsuccessful assassination attempt like Squeaky Fromme's attempt on President Ford in 1975 or JFK's assassination at Dealey Plaza in Dallas?

Reynolds grumbled, tightly gripping the yellow notebook paper with both hands.

The sheet was strangled by Reynolds with such force that it could be heard crinkling over the air.

Reynolds appears to want to punch someone out for a brief moment. He has been broadcasting to a national audience that the president was not shot. However, he may have been incorrect about one of the most significant stories of all time: the possible assassination of a president.

Donaldson remained fixated on the desk, attempting to comprehend the severity of the circumstances.

Reynolds regained his composure, lowering his voice and smoothing out his delivery.

Reynolds struggled to hear someone trying to relay information to him off camera amidst the noise of the newsroom.

"Speak up!" Reynolds yelled, pointing an accusing finger at an unseen person.

Reynolds couldn't be blamed for his actions in that moment as he was only trying to accurately portray the story amidst the confusion.

The majority of individuals learned about JFK's assassination through the CBS broadcast featuring Walter Cronkite, during the program "As the World Turns."

"President Kennedy died at 1 pm, Central Standard Time, according to Cronkite, who removed his glasses. This was 2 pm, Eastern Standard Time, 38 minutes ago."

Cronkite swallowed hard, pausing for a full seven seconds before speaking again.

The iconic way most people learned of JFK's death was through television. However, it's unclear if that's the actual truth. Millions of Americans were tuned in to the radio during the afternoon when the news broke. It's intriguing to listen to old radio broadcasts to see how local stations reported on the event.

The coverage on WLW-AM in Cincinnati is particularly interesting.

And chaotic.

WLW is a prominent radio station in the United States, often referred to as "The Nation's Station." Known as a "blowtorch," the station's 50,000 watt, clear-channel signal is said to reach 38 states at night. At one time, WLW was the strongest station in the world, with a power boost to 500,000 watts initiated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The transmission was even heard in Europe.

The Kennedy assassination was a turning point for hundreds of radio stations across the country, as WLW's broadcast of the event set the tone for the coverage that followed.

At 1:30 pm ET, WLW broadcasts the national NBC Radio newscast, hosted by Martin Agronsky. Agronsky reports on Kennedy's visit to Dallas. The national newscast ends, and local WLW host Fred Bernard takes over. Bernard provides the weather forecast and discusses rain in the Toledo to Dayton area. He then plays the overture of the Broadway musical "Li'l Abner."

As the overture begins, it only lasts for a few bars before fading away. At the conclusion, you can hear Bernard scratch the record as he lifts the needle and prepares to start broadcasting.

Bernard cautions us to remain still for a brief moment, as there might be some activity occurring. He delivers this message with the same composure as he provided the weather forecast.

"Yes there is," says Bernard.

You then hear a studio door slightly squeak.

Bernard says he received a bulletin from Dallas, Texas.

He then mentions that someone fired on President Kennedy’s motorcade.

Bernard finally speaks to the audience after analyzing the wire copy.

"Bernard declares, "I will provide you with an accurate description of this text. The headline reads: 'Dallas. An unknown sniper fired three shots.' It contains five letters: 'PMOUX.' Then, there is a 'FLASH.' Kennedy's name is misspelled. The headline ends with 'Kennedy seriously wounded.'""

Bernard claims to update the audience but ultimately reverts to the recording.

Bernard says, "This is the introduction to Li’l Abner, performed by Lehman Engel and orchestra."

An absurd barnyard fiddle begins playing, which sounds like a hoe-down, during the most intense moment.

The music abruptly stops, and you can hear two people talking in the background.

"…has been shot!" someone says.

"Who? Kennedy?" inquires another voice.

"Yeah," someone affirms.

"The president?" asks the second voice, incredulously.

"Yeah," the other voice confirms again.

Then things get serious.

A deep-voiced announcer voice begins.

An announcer-type formally conveys information about the shooting in a bulletin from the WLW Comex Newsroom.

The voice says there were no casualties.

"The WLW newsroom will provide updates as new information becomes available."

Without warning, the music starts up again, halfway through the overture.

The tune from the musical at this moment is a satirical ditty titled "The Country's In the Very Best of Hands."

The announcer returns after a few minutes, and WLW switches to NBC Radio News for wall-to-wall coverage. There's a live report from Robert MacNeil in Dallas, who was traveling with Kennedy. MacNeil would later host the "MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour" on PBS for 22 years.

On Saturday night in Butler, Pa., there was chaos, prompting speculation about whether gunshots were involved.

I have witnessed and participated in numerous similar scenes.

All of them are known to me. They have been known to me for many years.

They’re utter chaos.