No Stopping the Press

Joey Carlson is managing editor of Access Press.

A few months into taking the helm as managing editor of Access Press , Joey Carlson lays out his to-do list for moving the non-profit print and digital newspaper forward: Inform. Amplify. Unite.

The paper, which serves the disability community in the upper Midwest, has been covering multiple important disability stories lately, from breaking down drastic future cuts to Medicaid to explaining how people with disabilities would be affected by proposed voter registration requirements.

Carlson and Heidi Holste, who joined the organization as publisher/executive director in December, are also spending time reaching out to disability and other organizations to get the word out that the paper has a renewed mission and focus.

“We’re trying to meet with a lot of people in the community to build relationships and amplify their voices,” Carlson said. “We’re building a voice so that when you read something, you know it’s not just me saying something or someone cutting and pasting what someone else said, but it’s a collective voice of everyone in this community that we’re amplifying.”

And that third objective – unite? Community meetups provide an opportunity for readers to mix with staff, board members, and each other. There was a mixer at King Coil Spirits in Saint Paul in April, for instance.

“This next chapter is really about growth, collaboration, and partnerships,” said Holste, who comes to the organization with significant policy and advocacy experience in Minnesota. “There is a strong, 35-year foundation at Access Press, so my focus has been on building on that while also identifying areas where we can modernize and expand our reach. I’m excited about the direction.” Access Press and ICI are longtime community partners.

She said readership and advertising revenue have both grown in the first few months of this year. The team is working on strengthening the paper’s digital presence, exploring new formats, and making sure the content is accessible and relevant to a wide range of readers. The physical newspaper is published monthly, circulated to subscribers and bundle-dropped at locations throughout the state. An audiotape version is also available.

Carlson echoed the desire to maintain the organization’s foundational roots, citing Charlie Smith (founding editor/publisher, 1990-2000) and Tim Benjamin (executive director/editor, 2001-2022) as inspirations. Jane McClure, longtime writer, served as editor through December 2025.

“They built such a cool legacy, and our challenge is to now get our voice out in the community in some new ways that recognize how the media is changing,” he said.

Carlson himself has lived disability experience. A car accident left the former national speedskating champion with a broken neck and severe spinal cord injury. He finished high school and started college while in rehab from the accident. He later joined the board of the Minnesota Spinal Cord Injury Association, lobbying in Saint Paul and Washington, D.C. for spinal cord injury research funds. He later earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and has worked in communications for several area companies.

And in an open letter to readers as he joined Access Press last fall, he said the publication was always in his house growing up because his dad, who managed a vocational program for people with intellectual disability, was a subscriber.

“Little did I know this publication would have a profound impact throughout my life,” Carlson wrote.