Chronogram has been awarded second place in the Solutions Journalism category at the 2025 Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) Awards, recognizing excellence in local reporting that explores responses to pressing social issues. The honor was given for “Can We Fix Mental Health Crisis Response in the Hudson Valley?”, a deeply reported feature by journalist Steven Yoder, published in February 2024 as part of The River Newsroom.
The AAN Awards celebrate the best in independent, local journalism across North America, honoring work that exemplifies the role of the alternative press in challenging the status quo. The Solutions Journalism category, in particular, spotlights reporting that not only identifies problems, but examines the creative and systemic solutions being tested to address them.
“Receiving this recognition from our peers in the alt-weekly world is incredibly meaningful,” says Brian K. Mahoney, editorial director of Chronogram. “We’re proud to be in a position where we can dig into tough, often-overlooked issues like mental health crisis response—and bring real solutions to light for our readers here in the Hudson Valley.”
Yoder’s award-winning piece examines how communities across the region are rethinking their approach to mental health emergencies. With many local police departments still serving as the default first responders to mental health calls—often with tragic results—the article investigates the growing movement to implement mobile crisis response teams: clinician-led alternatives that de-escalate without force.
Through extensive interviews with advocates, public health experts, and law enforcement officials, the article paints a comprehensive picture of the region’s fragmented mental health response infrastructure. It also highlights emerging programs—both locally and nationally—that are creating new models of care centered on dignity, safety, and collaboration rather than incarceration or violence.
At the heart of the story is the case of Daniel McAlpin, a Hudson Valley man experiencing a mental health crisis who was fatally shot by police in 2022 after family members called for help. His story, and others like it, underscore the urgency of reimagining crisis response beyond a law enforcement framework.
“This piece represents the kind of journalism we’re committed to doing at Chronogram: fact-based, locally grounded, and solutions-oriented,” Mahoney says. “We believe in telling the full story—not just what’s broken, but how people are working to fix it. That’s what makes this work so vital, and why we’re proud to be recognized.”
The article also connects to recent developments in state policy and oversight. In April 2025, the New York State Attorney General announced a settlement with WMCHealth over failures in psychiatric care—including premature discharges and unsafe use of restraints—reinforcing the systemic concerns raised in the story.
For Chronogram, the AAN honor is more than a feather in the cap—it’s a validation of the magazine’s evolving mission as a platform for civic engagement, cultural reflection, and rigorous reporting. “We’re not just here to highlight the beauty of the Hudson Valley,” Mahoney said. “We’re here to wrestle with its hardest questions too.”
This article appears in July 2025.
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