Journalist. Researcher. Civic Technologist.

I’m Natalie Holly Purviance, and I investigate how narratives, algorithms, and emerging technologies shape civic life and public understanding. My work spans journalism, documentary filmmaking, and computational research, and I am deeply interested in how power operates through public persuasion, misinformation, and technical systems. With a background in performance, I approach rhetoric not only as a communicative form but as an embodied and systemic force that shapes public behavior, trust, and knowledge.

As a Lede Fellow at Columbia Journalism School, I trained in data analysis, Python, and natural language processing to explore how political discourse evolves across platforms and time. I am currently a Product Builder at the CUNY AI Journalism Lab, where I’m developing a civic interface that contextualizes public information in real time using AI and multilingual logic. I am also re-engaging with applied mathematics to better analyze how civic infrastructures intersect with computational logic and optimization. My aim is to develop new forms of public storytelling that are analytically rigorous, accessible, and built to serve democratic knowledge.

You can find my code, data projects, and technical experiments on GitHub, and contact me on Linkedin.

Current Projects

  • CUNY AI Journalism Lab: Builders Track, 2026 Cohort
    Currently developing a multilingual AI-powered agent designed to contextualize breaking news and political narratives in real time, especially for communities navigating disinformation and language barriers. This civic tool blends computational design with rhetorical theory to enhance public understanding and trust. Support is provided in partnership with Nordic AI Journalism and Microsoft.

  • Ida B. Wells Society Investigative Reporting Fellow, 2026 Cohort

    Selected to participate in a journalism fellowship supporting investigative work with a focus on uncovering injustice, advancing narrative equity, and strengthening accountability in public discourse.

  • Co-Leader, Filmshop DocShop South Chapter

    Facilitating a works-in-progress lab for filmmakers from the American South or telling stories about the region.

  • The Radical Experiment of Haiti (Forthcoming Feature Documentary)
    Directing a feature-length documentary uncovering an early American ancestor’s search for home in 19th century Haiti, revealing how the U.S. once rejected its own democratic ideals abroad, and why it matters more than ever today. Support from Southern Documentary Fund, Filmshop DocShop South, and the Archives of the Episcopal Church.