Covering high-profile court trials can present newspapers with extraordinary challenges, such as managing the heightened drama of a national case and dealing with staff shortages during long periods of testimony or jury deliberations.

But for the reporters and editors charged with covering some of the most sensational trials of the past decade, producing effective and accurate content in those difficult circumstances often comes down to focusing on basic journalistic skills such as preparation, providing context, and including a human element in the legal drama...