Video Deconstruction
Your Task:
Watch the CBS This Morning report, “How carmakers are collecting and selling your data” Review the Deconstruction Guide and your notes from the lecture on The Medium Is the Message. Then, watch the video a second time, taking notes as you do.
- Using all the steps in the Deconstruction Guide, establish whether the report is reliable. Explain why or why not.
1. Summarize the main points and then check: Do the main points of the story match the title?
2. How close does the reporter come to opening the freezer? Is the evidence direct or indirect?
3. Using IMVAIN, evaluate (a) John Ellis, Ford’s former head of technology; (b) Rick Ruskin, GM Marketplace; and (c) Lauren Smith, Future of Privacy Forum
4. Does the reporter make his work transparent?
5. Does the reporter place the story in context?
6. Are the key questions answered?
7. Is the story fair?

These solutions may offer step-by-step problem-solving explanations or good writing examples that include modern styles of formatting and construction of bibliographies out of text citations and references. Students may use these solutions for personal skill-building and practice. Unethical use is strictly forbidden.

The video “How carmakers are collecting and selling your data” intends to persuade the viewer that the cars they are driving are built to collect their personal identifying data while on the road. These vehicles, according to the reporter, have powerful microchip computers that record everything that the driver does in the car installed (CBS This Morning, 2018). These computers are located almost everywhere in the car. Unfortunately, the carmakers sell the data collected to third parties, for example, advertisers, and insurance companies. Also, the drivers who offer their data willingly, for instance, those that use the microchip computers to order food and purchase food, often get better deals from the carmakers (CBS This Morning, 2018). The main points of the story exemplify the title of the news...