I usually look at a few different websites. NY Times, CNN; Japan Times for local Japanese stuff. I found that as far as the UK goes, the Guardian generally has good writing, superior to the BBC in my opinion, though I’ll bet that BBC has access to more timely information due to connections, budget, and longevity. Besides the writing, I’ve formed a rather negative opinion of BBC due to their region restrictions on most media, use of the crappy RealPlayer format, and generally backward attitude toward IT.
If I’m particularly interested in a story I’ll look for multiple sources. If most of them agree on something, then that particular set of facts is probably right. This also helps smoke out reporting bias. Honestly, though, I haven’t followed the news closely for a while. I went through a heavy news phase for a few years that ended about a year ago and since then haven’t done more than cursory reading.