misunderstanding misinformation

When something unexpected or tragic happens, it throws a wrench (and the rest of the toolbox) into our normal actions & expectations.
Initially, after the OKC bombing, the news reported several bombs that had not detonated. Later, the news would never mention it again. I can see how some would want to bring up conspiracy theories about the government being responsible. Personally, I think human error is a more likely cause, mainly due to our government being incompetent.
Way back when (old man hat on), I was sitting in a classified pre-mission briefing in Saudi Arabia. We were told by intel (info gathered by spies) that the Baghdad Republican Guard was arming their artillery with chemical and biological weapons.
"Finally," I thought. Proof for the world. Even in April '03 there were already questions about where were the mysterious WMD. There had been MiGs buried in the sand http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/sandplanes.asp but no WMD yet. Well, as it turned out, it's summer '10 and we're still waiting on "yet".
The intel was wrong at every level, from ALL the intelligence agencies. Even to the point that our small squadron level info was wrong.
Why the story? (old man cap off)
We NEED info to make the right decisions. When it's a life-or-death situation, we are going to go with the max amount of info we can get. During the morning of the OKC bombing, the survivors and rescuers were trying to respond to any and all info that could save lives. I have a feeling (an uninformed opinion) that someone at the scene simply asked about other bombs. Someone else overheard and asked what if it had been bigger. Someone else heard authority discussing that and ran away shrieking about another bomb. Misinformation spread, later dismissed, and conspiracy theory formed.