As the senior investigative reporter, Dale Russell is the FOX 5 I-Team's government watchdog. He has spent more than 30 years investigating some of Atlanta's biggest stories. His investigations have helped shape Georgia's political history; toppling people in power, exposing waste and corruption, sparking criminal investigations, and changing laws.
Dale's entire journalism career has been right here in Atlanta, where he began as a freelance newspaper and magazine writer. He went on to work as a reporter for WGST News Radio and then moved into television as an investigative reporter.
Dale has broken important stories while covering some of the nation's biggest events, including Atlanta's Missing and Murdered children, the Olympic Park bombing, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. His expose on Georgia's Speaker of the House, Glenn Richardson, and Presidential candidate, Herman Cain, lead to dramatic changes in the state and nation's political landscape. His examination of racial profiling by US Customs agents at Atlanta's airport lead to a nationwide overhaul of customs searches. In 2005, he traveled to Iraq to embed with the Georgia National Guard during its historic wartime deployment.
Dale has won more than 50 journalism awards including broadcasting's highest honor: The George Foster Peabody Award. Atlanta Magazine, The Atlanta Journal–Constitution, Creative Loafing, and The Atlanta Press Club have all named him as the city's top TV journalist. Georgia Trend Magazine selected him as one of Georgia's 100 Most Influential People. He was recently inducted into Georgia's Silver Circle, honoring the state's top television professionals.
A former high school counselor, Dale is a board member of the First Amendment Foundation, which fights for openness in government. Dale attended the University of Georgia and graduated from Georgia State with a BS in Education.
The Atlanta native has two children and lives with his wife in the DeKalb County neighborhood where he was raised.
Thursday, May 23 2013 12:56 AM EDT2013-05-23 04:56:30 GMT
The FOX 5 I-Team has learned that Douglas County District Attorney David McDade is personally asking the GBI to investigate how money is spent in his office.
The FOX 5 I-Team has learned that Douglas County District Attorney David McDade is personally asking the GBI to investigate how money is spent in his office.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 10:42 PM EDT2013-05-23 02:42:27 GMT
What do major hotel chains, the IRS, and the business partner of a top rapper have in common? Court records show the National Conference of Black Mayors owes all of them money. Big money.
What do major hotel chains, the IRS, and the business partner of a top rapper have in common? Court records show the National Conference of Black Mayors owes all of them money. Big money.
Monday, May 20 2013 11:12 PM EDT2013-05-21 03:12:38 GMT
The Douglas County district attorney used seized drug money to take support staff to a north Georgia training conference designed for prosecuting attorneys.
The Douglas County district attorney used seized drug money to take support staff to a north Georgia training conference designed for prosecuting attorneys. The FOX 5 I-Team followed along and found the four women didn't even register to attend the conference.
The FOX 5 I-Team found a pattern of payments and perks to one family by the local district attorney's office, and it's a pattern that has critics crying favoritism.
The FOX 5 I-Team found a pattern of payments and perks to one family by the local district attorney's office, and it's a pattern that has critics crying favoritism.
Wednesday, May 15 2013 10:32 PM EDT2013-05-16 02:32:39 GMT
A local man says Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Reed's ex-girlfriend got him fired from his city job. The man told the FOX 5 I-Team about the federal whistleblower lawsuit he's filed and why he wants the city to pay up.
A local man says Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Reed's ex-girlfriend got him fired from his city job. The man told the FOX 5 I-Team about the federal whistleblower lawsuit he's filed and why he wants the city to pay up.
Wednesday, April 17 2013 7:31 PM EDT2013-04-17 23:31:24 GMT
While federal agents pour over the videos with hopes of finding the bomber, they still have the painstaking job of reconstructing the deadly bombs.
While federal agents pour over the videos with hopes of finding the bomber, they still have the painstaking job of reconstructing the deadly bombs. In crime scene pictures obtained by the FOX 5 I-Team, you can see remnants of a stainless steel cooking pot that agents quickly identified as a pressure cooker.
Tuesday, April 16 2013 6:50 PM EDT2013-04-16 22:50:47 GMT
The bomb that exploded at the finish line of Monday's Boston Marathon sent shock waves across the country.
The bomb that exploded at the finish line of Monday's Boston Marathon sent shock waves across the country. Crime scene photos obtained exclusively by FOX 5 Atlanta are the first look at what is left of the first deadly device.
