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5 De Los stories you should read: Jann Wenner’s gatekeeping and Grammy snubs

Week in review for De Los.
(Photo illustration by Diana Ramirez / De Los)
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At De Los, we’re working hard to bring you the best stories daily. Whether it’s trending news moments, features or commentary — we are proud of every piece of journalism we produce.

But sometimes it’s hard to keep up with it all. Every Friday, we’ll put together a short recap of some of our best work to help you stay on top of our coverage.

Jann Wenner’s fall from grace doesn’t absolve music journalism

Man on stage talking into microphone
Jann Wenner discusses his 2022 book, “Like a Rolling Stone: A Memoir.”
(Evan Agostini /invision / Associated Press)
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One of the titans of music journalism, Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine fame, tarnished his legacy with comments he made in a New York Times interview to promote his new book, “Masters.” When asked why there were no Black or female musicians in his book, Wenner replied that these artists weren’t articulate enough to be included.

In this week’s Latinx Files, Fidel Martínez dived into the controversial topic, explaining that the issue of gatekeeping, in this case specifically in music, is a problem that the industry needs to tackle. It didn’t help that contemporary Bob Guccione Jr., formerly of Spin magazine, defended Wenner.

No love for corridos tumbados in the 2023 Latin Grammy nominations

If you haven’t noticed the huge boom in corridos tumbados over the last year, then you were probably living under a rock or are a Latin Grammy voter. With Latin Grammy nominations coming out this week, the corridos tumbados genre made famous by acts such as Peso Pluma and Fuerza Regida was a glaring omission.

Columnist Suzy Exposito went through the nominations and found all the snubs and surprises leading up to the show on Nov. 16.

Pew: Most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish, and those who don’t are shamed by their own

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The guilt Latinos feel for not speaking perfect Spanish is real. No matter if it comes from strangers you’ve just met or family members you’ve known forever, one slip of the tongue can lead to years of shame and ridicule.

A recent study by the Pew Institute found some interesting details around Spanish usage and the cultural marker the language places on U.S. Latinos. As with most every study around Latinos, it is another indication that we are not a monolithic group.

Operation Lone Star transformed this Texas border town, but the battle didn’t start there

Rio Grande
Migrants seeking asylum rest on an island while attempting to cross the Rio Grande into the United States.
(Brandon Bell / Getty Images)

Border issues are, and will continue to be, a hot button topic leading up to the 2024 elections. We will continue to be told about the threat of an invasion from those coming through our Mexican border from various countries.

One state that is central to the border crisis is Texas, and its conservative governor, Greg Abbott, has been one of the most aggressive proponents of strong border security measures. Texas-based contributor Cat Cardenas takes a look at Abbott’s plan, called Operation Lone Star, and the effects it is having on one border town.

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How these Latinas are navigating fertility, IVF and family

Contributor Alex Zaragoza writes on the struggles her and other Latinas face when wanting to start a family after the age of 35. With a mix of humor and deep reporting, Zaragoza describes the difficulties confronting Latinas as they deal with the expense of in vitro fertilization and the judgment from family members.

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