Sounds to me like a lot of covering up. But what do I know.
The big difference is that before, explosions and fires and derailments were normally just local news items. Something had to be really big to make the national news. With 24/7 coverage of cable news and general jitters about terrorism now EVERYTHING is a national news story.
If every car accident were a national news item, it would be such a flood that there would probably be a sudden push to ban cars.
Bingo... and media speculation is not as cautiously used as it should be. It is sure easy to wind us up and watch us go! - I only wish the terrorists were not also taking notes.