Well, I guess it depends on your news source. I'm from the UK and I've always thought the following about US news vs UK news (and this may be a bit stereotypical):
- US TV news: hopelessly biased and sensational, sometimes hysterical.
- US newspapers: outside of the tabloids, generally serious and reputable. Ethics and integrity are taken seriously within the profession (even if not always adhered to).
- UK national newspapers: hopelessly biased, shrieking headlines, foaming-at-the mouth hysteria, click-bait headlines galore. Self-centred, nasty, unpleasant, possibly the most racist press in Europe.
- UK TV news: far from perfect, but strives for impartiality, balance and even-handedness
- UK radio news (BBC dominates): possibly better than TV news because you don't get the emotive visuals. (But, of course, sometimes pictures can convey the magnitude or seriousness of an event more than just words.) Also, unlike TV, you can access BBC radio news wherever you are in the world for free.
Radio is definitely one of the best sources and unsung heroes of news in the UK. I feel BBC Radio 4 does this especially well, in that it provides coverage in a few different formats. The hourly bulletins allow you to stay informed without investing a lot of time, the longer news summaries cover a broad range of news, and the current affairs programmes (such as Today and PM) dig deep into the nitty-gritty of the issues.
Elsewhere on the BBC Radio network, Radio 5 live does a good job with its rolling news coverage, the BBC World Service has fantastic features (I enjoy their technology programmes Click and Tech Tent), and the local radio stations are sometimes the only place you'll find decent coverage of local news.
As you point out, the BBC does dominate, although I have a fondness for LBC and talkRADIO, too.
- US TV news: hopelessly biased and sensational, sometimes hysterical.
- US newspapers: outside of the tabloids, generally serious and reputable. Ethics and integrity are taken seriously within the profession (even if not always adhered to).
- UK national newspapers: hopelessly biased, shrieking headlines, foaming-at-the mouth hysteria, click-bait headlines galore. Self-centred, nasty, unpleasant, possibly the most racist press in Europe.
- UK TV news: far from perfect, but strives for impartiality, balance and even-handedness
- UK radio news (BBC dominates): possibly better than TV news because you don't get the emotive visuals. (But, of course, sometimes pictures can convey the magnitude or seriousness of an event more than just words.) Also, unlike TV, you can access BBC radio news wherever you are in the world for free.