Richard Mensah Adonu

Richard Mensah Adonu curriculum vitae (PDF)

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Richard Mensah Adonu is currently a PhD student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, earning a doctoral degree with a concentration in journalism and media. He serves as a graduate teaching associate and works as an instructor of record for JMED 466 Media, Diversity and Society.  

His doctoral research examines how young adults evaluate news content before civic participation, taking into consideration the psychological impact of deepfake content/fake news on young people. Adonu recently completed his Master of Science in Journalism and Mass Communication Studies from Iowa State University. His master’s thesis, Preparing future journalists in the age of generative artificial intelligence: Perspectives from journalism faculty in America, examined how journalism professors approach GenAI training and integration in their classrooms. He was also a recipient of the Iowa State Research Excellence Award.  

His research interests center on the intersection of artificial intelligence and digital media. He focuses particularly on deepfakes, generative AI, information integrity, media literacy, and journalism and media studies. He is concerned with how advancements in generative artificial intelligence present challenges for news consumers and the general society. Deepfakes and AI-generated content continue to blur the lines that help audiences identify distorted media content, such that “seeing is no longer believing.”  

His research contributions include co-authoring Beyond the big city: Rural journalists, role orientations and reimaginations of computational journalism with Jan Lauren Boyles, published in Journalism in 2025. He also co-authored Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Early Detection and Management of Infectious Disease Outbreaks, published in the International Journal of Innovative Research & Development. Additionally, he presented his collaborative research Investigative Journalism in The New Age: Examining the Use of AI Tools in Investigative Journalism Practices in Ghana at the 2023 Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden.  

Prior to his graduate studies in the United States, Adonu earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies (journalism option) with first-class honors. He graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, now known as the University of Media, Arts and Communication-Institute of Journalism (UniMAC-GIJ). His academic foundation reflects a strong commitment to understanding how media shapes society.  

He also studies how audiences interact with evolving information landscapes. Adonu’s educational journey began in his home country of Ghana. He hails from the small town of Ohawu in the Ketu-North Constituency in the Volta Region. He completed his basic education at Ohawu Basic School. He pursued his secondary education at Wovenu Senior High School, also located in the Volta Region of Ghana. His research approach is particularly timely given the current challenges facing media consumers. His work addresses the critical need for media literacy in an age of sophisticated AI-generated content. He focuses on how these technological developments affect democratic participation and civic engagement among young people. 

Research Interests