College Athletics

The evidence in this edition did not support a cross-source pattern. Each record below stands on its own.

1. 01
   Independent reportingMixedNew this fortnight

   Lewiston Tribune: FanWord runs on five staff and added AI only in 2023; Lewis-Clark State piloted its transcription and does not use it, as WSU adds voice-note feature stories

   The Lewiston Tribune (Sam Taylor, Oct 16, 2026) adds detail beyond archived WSU–FanWord coverage. FanWord CEO Christopher Aumueller told the Tribune the Lincoln, Neb. company has five full-time employees in 2026, began as a freelance feature-story service in 2018, had about 70 partnerships by 2023 and did not add AI to its products until 2023; its website cites about 250 schools and conferences. Aumueller conceded the company needs to communicate better what the tool does. Lewis-Clark State's assistant AD for sports information, Alisha Alexander (also first VP of the NAIA SID association), said LCSC piloted FanWord's transcription feature several years ago and does not use the program, though she called it useful for writing help at one-SID schools. WSU's Bobby Alworth described the workflow: for ticketed sports staff upload a box-score game file, FanWord Assist drafts a recap and staff revise and publish; interns still write releases for non-ticketed sports. WSU may also send athletes questions to answer by voice note or video, which FanWord turns into feature stories for staff revision. WSU has three full-time SIDs and is hiring a fourth; it pays $5,000 per year. Murrow College dean Bruce Pinkleton said 10 Murrow students work in WSU Athletics. A WSU broadcast professor and a Daily Evergreen reporter objected to AI-written feature stories about people. No time-saved, accuracy or quality measurement is reported.

   Washington State University Athletics, FanWord, Lewis-Clark State College (covered by the Lewiston Tribune)United States (Pullman, Washington; Lewiston, Idaho; NCAA Division I and NAIA)October 16, 2026

   Why it matters, evidence and limitations

   Why it matters

   Why now: published Oct 16, 2026, the day of the last completed edition, and not archived. It is the first archived source to describe the vendor's own scale and AI history, a named small-college pilot that was not continued, and the voice-note-to-feature-story workflow, which moves AI from stat-driven recaps to writing about athletes as people. Interpretation: the procurement question for departments is shifting from cost (already archived at $5,000/year) to vendor capacity, which content types are in scope, and how athlete consent for AI-drafted profiles is handled.

   Evidence and measured results

   Local newspaper reporting from on-record interviews with WSU staff, the FanWord CEO, an LCSC sports information director, a WSU professor and a student reporter, plus a dean's statement. Vendor figures (staff count, partnership counts, 250 schools) are self-reported. The LCSC pilot is described in one sentence with no date, scope or reason for discontinuing. No usage data, time savings, error rates or reader-quality evaluation.

   Limitations and uncertainty

   Single local-news article in a heavily covered story (13 archived FanWord items). The LCSC non-use finding is anecdotal and undated. Vendor claims unverified. Critics' views are opinion, not measured quality findings.

   Independent local news reporting Role takeaways & implementation