Clark really fouled up this one. It should have been obvious that it was a trap. At the very least, anyone with few enough scruples to kidnap Lois isn't going to be above lying about the terms of her release. And if word gets out that someone had Superman traipsing all over town on a wild goose chase all day just because they kidnapped Lois Lane, there's going to be a giant target painted on her back.

This is reminiscent of the time he robbed Mazik's Jewelers. Clark gives in to threats against his family awfully easily.

"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him." -Batman (in Superman/Batman #3 by Jeph Loeb)