Obama on the protests at Standing Rock: "We’ve made a lot of progress for Indian country over the past eight years."

Is that a fact? Or is it opinion? Would every American Indian, or even a majority of American Indians, agree with him? Who stopped to verify his claim? And if a lot of progress has been made, why is Standing Rock such a huge and lingering protest?

Elected and appointed government officials offer opinions every day. Those opinions are reported as if they're facts. Only rarely does the reporting journal critically examine what's said, because that takes time and resources.