Present people as individuals, not as representatives of groups. Show the significance of the news. Make it alive and relevant. Provide context, not just coverage of events. Give background for readers who may not be familiar with the issues.
Good stories tell the reader why a problem exists and how it got to be a problem.
This doesn't have to be long-a few sentences should suffice. For instance, a Housto n Chronicle story about gangs included congressional testimony from a University of Chicago professor ex-plaining that gangs have their origins in early immigration. The story also talked about the role of poverty and community in forming gangs.