In 1997, she gained attention for her photographs of dying bank robber Emil Mătăsăreanu, who had been shot after a nationally televised shootout with police.

In mid-2003, Cole went to Liberia, as rebels surrounded the capital, Monrovia, demanding the resignation of President Charles Taylor.

This trip was to earn her the 2004 Pulitzer Prize, "for her cohesive, behind-the-scenes look at the effects of civil war in Liberia, with special attention to innocent citizens caught in the conflict."

[4] In April 2000, Cole was arrested on felony charges for "throwing deadly missiles" at police during protests in Miami's "Little Havana" during the Elián González affair.

In 2002, Cole covered the beginnings of the prominent siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, which had been occupied by Palestinian militants.

Then, on May 2, she made a last-minute decision to join a group of peace activists who entered the building in solidarity with the Palestinians.