Tributes paid to BBC journalist Natasha Bateman
BBCBBC journalist Natasha Bateman, who specialised in telling overlooked stories in fresh and creative ways, has died at the age of 32.
The BBC's Director of News Fran Unsworth said Natasha was a "gifted young journalist" and a "great talent".
Working for BBC Stories, she tackled themes such as equal opportunities, the hardships faced by young people, women's rights and mentoring.
Reflecting on her career, Natasha's parents told the BBC: "From childhood Natasha was fascinated by language and the power of words. In her teenage years she was drawn to the media and to work for the BBC was her dream. Working on digital news gave Natasha the platform to explore new approaches to broadcasting something she was so passionate about."
They added: "Shakespeare summed up Natasha's approach to journalism well in A Midsummer Night's Dream: 'Though she be but little she is fierce.'"
Jeremy Skeet, head of Digital Current Affairs, praised Natasha's "passion for digital storytelling, her fresh approach and her huge sense of fun".
While her kindness and humour made her a hugely popular figure in the office, he added, "she was a serious journalist - serious about telling the stories the audiences cared about, in a way that was modern and relatable".
Natasha joined the BBC in 2010 after leaving the University of Worcester. She worked for BBC Radio West Midlands as a broadcast assistant and later as a broadcast journalist, eventually producing the breakfast show.
Kevin Pashby, who worked alongside her in the West Midlands, said: "She brought light to the darkest of situations and could motivate and encourage you to give your best with just a little smirk."
From April 2014, Natasha spent a year in Manchester developing short films for The One Show. Among her achievements in this role, Natasha secured access to a school caught up in the "Trojan Horse" schools affair and obtained an interview with the mother of a boy who was killed after he went to fight in Syria.
Josh Reynolds, who worked alongside Natasha at the programme, says she made a lasting impression there as "a bad-ass, fearless journalist who wouldn't take no for an answer when she believed in a story, especially when it came to female-focused stories".
In 2017, she moved to Digital Current Affairs, joining the BBC Stories team as a founding member.
Stories by Natasha
In that role, she had a remit to reach out to audiences who didn't normally consume traditional news outlets. It was a mission she believed in deeply.
"Her passion was telling the untold stories of people who did not always get the attention they deserved," says Fran Unsworth.
Colleagues say she quickly distinguished herself with the originality of her ideas and her unerring ability to find high-quality case studies.
BBC Three controller Fiona Campbell, previously the BBC's director of digital, recalls Natasha bringing humour and lightness of touch to a video on the importance of smear tests. The films were praised by NHS nurses for the manner in which they communicated skilfully with young women.
"Tash was unique - a strong, highly creative voice who was determined in what she wanted to do," adds Campbell.
Natasha told an interviewer she saw BBC Stories "as a platform that brings people together". She took charge of the department's strategy for Instagram, recognising the platform's potential for new forms of storytelling that reached young women in particular.
She worked on a number of films for BBC Stories. One focused on young people who were estranged from their parents getting through university without financial support. Another followed a group of online friends who had supported each other through their pregnancies as they met in person for the first time.
A memorial dedicated to Natasha is on display at St Bride's on London's Fleet Street, known as the "journalists' church".
