William Dale Cardwell (born 1962 in Greenville, Kentucky) is a consumer advocate and television journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2001, Cardwell and his family were placed in the protective custody of police when Cardwell appeared on a "hit list," based on his investigative reporting of corruption in DeKalb County, Georgia.
Today, Cardwell writes a consumer advice column in the Marietta Daily Journal chain of newspapers, delivered to 403,000 homes. Dale is also the host of TrustDaleTV, a consumer problem-solving show, airing twice per week on WAGA, the Fox affiliate in the nation's eighth largest television market, and host of TrustDale Radio on WSB AM and now 95.5 FM.. Off air, Cardwell owns and operates TrustDale.com, a venue where consumers can inspect and review recommendations for products and services across numerous "categories." Cardwell vets numerous companies across many genres and then chooses the companies that he and his team determine provide the best "price, quality and customer service." Cardwell collects a nominal advertising pool fee from each company which: pays Dale and his team, and allows him to make his choices known. Cardwell told the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Rodney Ho, “I choose the companies, they didn’t choose me.” Cardwell was previously a long-time investigative reporter for Atlanta's WSB-TV. Before that, he worked for Nashville, Tennessee's WSMV, WRAL-TV in Raleigh/Durham, and also served stints at TV stations in Birmingham, Alabama and western Kentucky.
Cardwell chose to mount a campaign in 2008 "to reclaim America from the special interests that pay for and choose candidates." To be true to his position, he was the only candidate to refuse special interest "PAC" financing. He was eliminated in the July 15, 2008 General Primary, where he came in third to two candidates who did take special interest contributions.