How the New York Times knows that demonstrations in Syria yesterday were massive

"“We remembered the old days when we would protest in large numbers, when the whole city would protest,” said Fares, an activist in Zabadani, near Damascus, reached via Skype."  So the New York Times confirmed that demonstrations in Syria were massive yesterday because an activist said so on Sykpe.  I don't want to bother the esteemed correspondents of the New York Times, but are those "activists" whose phone numbers are provided by either the Hariri press office in Beirut or by the press offices of Ikhwan in Cairo and London (under fancy names of course) willing to offer fair judgment?  Like, do you think you can reach an "activist" on Skype one day and he (Ikhwan does not allow women to talk) would say: you know, Mr. MacFarquhar.  I have to be honest with you.  Yesterday, we failed.  There were very small demonstrations.  I have to be honest with you.