Beyoncé may finally upend country's white reputation

+ how states can meet EPA's tougher air pollution standards US Edition - Today's top story: With Beyoncé's foray into country music, the genre is finally breaking free from the stereotypes that have long dogged it [View in browser]( US Edition | 22 February 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [When journalism becomes propaganda]( - [How mothers’ dieting habits impact daughters]( - [NYC’s ‘stop and frisk’ is cautionary tale]( Lead story Last week, uproar ensued when the country music station KYKC in Oklahoma initially refused to play Beyoncé’s new country music tracks, deeming it “not country.” Whether or not racism was involved in the decision, debates over race, authenticity and country music have been going on for over a century, writes Middlebury College American studies professor William Nash. But as he sees it, [there’s really no debate about country’s origins](: Both Black and white musicians helped craft the genre, whether it was European immigrants performing in Northeast U.S. mill towns, or enslaved Africans bringing the banjo with them to the Americas. The real bone of contention, Nash explains, is whether Beyoncé is straying outside her lane. With Nashville churning out pop country hit after pop country hit, it’s only natural for one of the biggest pop stars in the world to continue exploring the genre. “Lucky for Beyoncé,” Nash writes, “it’s been done plenty of times before. And her songs are arriving at a time when more and more Black musicians are charting country hits.” [ [Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails).]([]]( Nick Lehr Arts + Culture Editor Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, at the 66th Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images [With Beyoncé’s foray into country music, the genre is finally breaking free from the stereotypes that have long dogged it]( William Nash, Middlebury Her new songs are arriving at a moment when country music’s reputation as overwhelmingly white is finally starting to crack. Politics + Society - [How you can tell propaganda from journalism − let’s look at Tucker Carlson’s visit to Russia]( Michael J. Socolow, University of Maine Tucker Carlson’s sycophantic interview with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and his subsequent praise for Russia’s subways, supermarkets and cheeseburgers, was not journalism. It was propaganda. - [Philly mayor might consider these lessons from NYC before expanding stop-and-frisk]( Megan Kurlychek, Penn State Evidence from NYC shows that stop-and-frisk policing leads to greater mistrust of police and more racial disparities in the criminal justice system. 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International - [Donald Trump is already flustering foreign leaders who are trying to prepare for a possible presidency]( Michelle Bentley, Royal Holloway University of London The rest of the world is already starting to react to a possible Trump presidency, but is finding it hard to plan. Podcast 🎙️ - [Israel-Gaza: how opinion polls used in Northern Ireland could pave a way to peace]( Gemma Ware, The Conversation In The Conversation Weekly podcast, researcher Colin Irwin explains how peace polls can help build consensus in conflict negotiations – but only if all parties are at the table. 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