[2] As a student, his curriculum included an internship with the university's radio station, WVTF, in nearby Roanoke, Virginia.

He moved to The Washington Post in 1987, where he worked for ten years and was mentored by Ben Bradlee.

[5] In 2001, Thomas and the ABC News team won Emmy, Peabody and DuPont awards for their coverage of the events of September 11, 2001.

[6] In 2012, the National Association of Black Journalists named Thomas "Journalist of the Year," particularly citing his accomplishments in accurately reporting the shooting of U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords (while other networks erroneously reported she had died) as well as breaking stories around the death of Osama bin Laden.

[7] In 2015, Thomas won the Radio Television Digital News Association's John F. Hogan Distinguished Service award for "contributions to journalism and freedom of the press.