Thompson began her journalism career in 1979 working for
WNDU-TV in
South Bend, Indiana where she was from 1979 to 1983 and then a consumer reporter for NBC affiliate
KSDK-TV in
Saint Louis,
Missouri, from 1983 to 1986, and NBC affiliate
WDIV-TV in
Detroit,
Michigan from 1986 to 1997. She first joined
NBC News in 1997 as a national correspondent. She shared two
Gerald Loeb Awards for business journalism: the 2004 Television Short Form award for "The Jobless Recovery," and the 2006 Television Deadline award for "The Katrina Effect." From March 2005 to April 2007, she was Chief Financial Correspondent, covering issues such as the economic impact of
Hurricane Katrina and the Martha Stewart trials. In April 2007, she became Chief Environmental correspondent and has covered many economic and environmental issues, particularly the 2010
BP Oil Spill in the
Gulf of Mexico. She has also covered the Catholic Church including the late Pope emeritus
Pope Benedict XVI and the late
Pope Francis. ==Awards==