TV Journalism

An ITN trainee who rose through the ranks Purvis was the second editor of ITN's Channel 4 News

Channel 4 News

Channel 4 News is the news division of British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-Channel 4 News:...

 from 1983 and is generally credited with creating the programme in its current ethos.

He was Editor-in-Chief and CEO of ITN and retired in 2003 after 31 years at the company. In November 2007 Purvis became Content and Standards Partner at the UK regulator OFCOM, a position he held until 2010.

Academic

Purvis is the Professor of Television Journalism at City University, London

City University, London

City University London , is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and became a university in 1966, when it adopted its present name....

. In 2004-5 he was News International Visiting Professor of Broadcast Media at Oxford University.