The personal pronoun you is the only one in English that can be both singular and plural. It is used in the subject, objective and possessive cases. It can be a single person (singular) or more than one person (plural). In early Modern English, the distinction between the singular and the plural was marked by verb agreement. The use of the plural form ye (sometimes also written as thou) began to decrease from polite if informal usage in the 16th century, and by the 17th century it was used only to signal intimate or personal relationships, or to signify deferential relationships of superior-to-inferior status. Special plural forms, such as you-all, you-uns, yez, and youse were devised to replace it, but none became standard.
A good profile article provides the reader with insights and perspectives on your subject, and a sense of what it might be like to be in their shoes or to experience your subject’s situation for themselves. Personal stories and anecdotes are often very effective in doing this, and they add interest to a story that might otherwise be rather dry and academically focused.
You should approach the people you plan to interview for your profile with a list of questions that will allow you to capture their perspective on the news event that is at the center of your article. Your questions should begin with the news event, and then move on to more personal issues such as education, family life, career choices and hobbies.
Plural you guys is a popular expression that does not have a strong regional or dialectical association, although some younger and politically progressive speakers might avoid its use because of its perceived gendered nature. However, you is a versatile, adaptable and useful word that is not likely to disappear from our language any time soon.
A common mistake in writing about a news topic is to focus exclusively on what the event means to you and not how it might affect the readers of your article. This type of article can be interesting and informative, but it is unlikely to draw the attention you need for it to be successful.