Online publisher Stratfor provides news and information people are willing to pay for.

George Friedman is not in the business of journalism. He wants to make that clear. But while traditional media organizations are on the decline, Stratfor, the Austin, Tex.-based global intelligence company he started in 1996, is on the rise as readers look for alternatives to the ailing international sections of their daily papers.

Stratfor publishes online analysis of global events. An increasing number of respectable thought leaders and mainstream publications are relying on the company's briefings. Its subscriber base is growing. And earlier this month, Friedman brought on journalism veteran Robert Merry as publisher. Merry covered Washington for the Wall Street Journal for 12 years before moving to the Congressional Quarterly, where he spent his last 12 years as president and editor-in-chief.

Stratfor's big bet is that while news organizations may be declining, people still need to understand the news and they'll be willing to pay for that analysis.  More