The Audiovisual Council slapped the channel Orizont TV with a 75,000 lei fine for airing advertising promoting the fugitive politician Ilan Shor disguised as news stories.
One story covering a pop concert that was hosted on July 31 by the amusement park OrheiLand, a pet project of Ilan Shor, stressed that every Saturday children get free ice cream at the park thanks to Ilan Shor. The content was not marked as advertising.
On August 3, Orizont TV aired a story covering a political rally held to protest the closure of Ilan Shor’s “social shops MeriShor”. The story had a clearly laudatory tone favoring the politician.
In another newscast, on August 7, the channel praised Shor’s personal involvement and financial contribution in organizing a festival dedicated to the late folk legend Iurie Sadovnic.