My research focuses on teaching people how to think more critically about the media messages they consume. If we’re not trained to spot bias, persuasion, and misinformation, we can easily be misled in the online world. So, to address this, I designed Media Mentor AI, an interactive chatbot designed to guide users in a structured, critical analysis of news headlines.

Instead of giving users the “right” answer, Media Mentor AI guides learners through a critical and creative thinking framework called SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to Another Use, Eliminate, Reverse). The structured and scaffolded analysis guides them in rewriting and reframing news headlines in seven different ways, helping them see how word choices and framing shape our understanding of information. Ultimately, Media Mentor AI equips users with the skills to become more discerning media consumers.

We’ve tested this tool with Cronkite senior students, but anyone can use it. My goal is to extend its use to journalists and the general community. Media Mentor AI is currently used to guide Cronkite students in consuming and crafting media headlines with the responsibility, perspective, and care expected in their future professions.

 Findings from our Spring 2025 pilot test showed that the AI tool fundamentally reshaped the student learning experience, in that it expanded students’ perspectives, improved their self-efficacy, improved their knowledge, and provided new insights about media framing. Students reported deeper thinking and understanding of media bias and audience effects, contradicting concerns that AI hinders the critical thinking process.

By combining critical analysis of biased headlines (of transgender issues) with metacognitive reflection (reflecting on their own thinking), students began to actively trace their thought process and empathize with a population that is often marginalized or even excluded. They noticed how framing can persuade audiences, and they started to think critically about how they will create headlines in their future careers.

Note: Media Mentor AI is still a prototype undergoing testing and development.