Of course, the word "activist" in Syria has no meaning anymore. There is an armed conflict. Activists have either been killed by the regime, or imprisoned, or they have been marginalized by the armed conflict. And when Western media refer to "an activist" reached via Skype, they are under obligation to tell readers how this contact was reached. They should tell readers that in all cases the names and contacts have been provided by the exile opposition and that their account is understandably the official exile opposition account. It is not that MacFarquhar and his colleagues are dialing people at random using the Idlib Phone Book. WHo are you kidding really?
