It's true that the University fares badly in satisfaction surveys, and that's understandable given the size and it's staff/student ratio. However, I know from the History and Politics courses that there is a certain initiative to improve feedback, and I've found lecturers and tutors on the whole engaging, friendly, extremely knowledgeable and approachable.
The University's problem-based approach to learning makes it one of the best for research and entrepreneurship in the world, and this is reflected in its world league table rankings, and indeed in the recent publishing of this:
http://www2.skandia.co.uk/Media-Centre/2011-press-releases/August-2011/INCREASED-UNIVERSITY-FEES-MAY-MEAN-FEWER-BRITISH-MILLIONAIRES/ claiming that the University produces the 5th most millionaires of any in the country.
In regards to the UK newspaper preoccupation with with student satisfaction, it's worth noting that in terms of methodology, the idea is relatively sound. However, the reality is that many students have an unrealistic expectation of the amount of help they will receive on university courses - many expect a similar amount of help/feedback to their secondary school days - and tend to be disappointed. In my case, I was told to expect a vastly more independent learning experience, and that's what I've received, and how I've tended to learn throughout my school career in any case.
The University's VC Nancy Rothwell has recently announced plans to invest in new lecturers and professors/professorships, many of which were in the department of Humanities and several were directly related to my areas of study. History students were invited to attend lectures by those academics who were being considered for the positions, making students' opinions the locus of decision-making on behalf of the department. I also believe the university has an initiative to attract 100 of the most attractive PHD candidates, which will also naturally contribute to the undergraduate experience.
In my opinion, the general feedback could be improved in terms of setting more practice questions/essays throughout the semester, but apart from that, the feedback given via BlackBoard/e-mail/upon approaching the tutors, I have found to be pretty comprehensive.
Another interesting thing to note:
http://mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/15032704-university-manchester-bucks-uk-trend-latest-reputation-world-rankings