Because independent journalists are not allowed to move about freely in Syria, news outlets are depending on reports from people such as [Omar] Shakir and on information collected by international human rights groups to offer a picture of what's happening inside Syria—where, according to the United Nations, government forces have killed more than 5,000 people in the nearly 12 months since protests against the regime began.

—As the U.S. closes its embassy and Russia blocks a U.N. resolution condemning the Syrian president, Syrian blogger Shakir spoke to Morning Edition's Renee Montagne today about the assault on Homs: "'I just want [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov] to come here inside Baba Amr,' Shakir said, 'and sleep one night if he can.... We cannot sleep.... We cannot find food.... I just want him to come here inside Baba Amr and suffer as we suffer and see what we see.'"