What’s the role of the CMO in maintaining a healthy, free and vibrant press?

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is still wrongfully detained in Russia. There are 363 other journalists detained in more than 30 countries around the world, just for doing their jobs. An estimated two newspapers are going under each day in the U.S., which now has vast voting populations completely unserved by local journalism. Newsroom employment has fallen in the U.S. by more than half since 2005, according to Northwestern University.

The future of a robust, free and fair press is cloudy, to say the least. Brands have unique power to make change in the ad-supported media world, so what’s the CMO’s role in supporting news?

That’s the question at the heart of a panel discussion “Why Important Journalism Matters: The Role of the CMO” this year at Cannes with Ad Fontes Media CEO Vanessa Otero, Wall Street Journal CMO Sherry Weiss, BCG Senior Advisor and Reporters Without Borders Board Member Brad Jakeman, Hyundai Motor America CMO Angela Zepeda, and SVP of The Trust, WSJ Barrons Group, Phillipa Leighton-Jones.

“Capitalism fundamentally needs to operate in a strong, stable democracy,” Otero said. “Democracy needs a well-informed electorate and a well-informed electorate needs journalism.”

Watch the whole panel from Cannes.