Matthew Cole is an investigative journalist for The Intercept.

Cole earned his Bachelor's Degree from Saint Lawrence College. He subsequently graduated from Columbia University with a Master's Degree in Journalism.

Cole was a contributing writer at ESPN The Magazine, and wrote features for GQ, New York, Salon, and Details. His work has been noted in the annual Best Sports Writing. Cole worked as a television producer at ABC News’ investigative unit. There, he garnered two Emmy nominations in 2011 for his coverage of the CIA and an Al-Qaeda terrorist plot. His work has aired on Good Morning America, World News Tonight and Nightline. While at ABC News, Cole broke several international stories, which include a CIA secret prison in Lithuania, and revelations that a missing Iranian nuclear scientist had in fact defected to the US for the CIA. Cole has covered Blackwater, mercenaries, the expansion of JSOC, the CIA, and war crimes in Afghanistan.

Cole has come under fire for not taking the proper precaution to protect his sources.

His most recent source, Reality Winner was outed when the invisible ink on the files he published were recognized. In the past, Cole was involved in another story with John Kiriakou, in which John ended up serving 2 years in prison because he was not properly protected.