The issue isn't so much about delays in giving information - it's about rushing out misinformation, and then trying to cover up the actual facts. (And police in the UK aren't the only ones to go in for that. )

"Wires coming from out of his coat" - that would presumably have been based on a witness seeing some other passenger wearing an iPod or similar. Again quite a reasonable thing for an eye-witness to misunderstand, and pass on to some reporter, but something which the police could and should have corrected without delay.

Panic in a crisis can explain and even mitigate mistakes - but it can't in any way excuse deliberate attempts to mislead the public.