The Audiovisual Council imposed fines during its meeting on Friday, September 8. Eleven fines, amounting to a total of 75,000 lei, were levied against Orizont TV for broadcasting advertisements with concealed content in favor of Ilan Shor, a political actor who initiated the "Ș.O.R." Political Bloc. These advertisements were presented as part of the main news bulletins in both Russian and Romanian languages. In each case, the editorial content showcased Ilan Shor in a favorable light, falling under the category of political advertising.

The members of the Audiovisual Council specifically highlighted news articles where the primary focus was on Ilan Shor's involvement rather than the events themselves. For instance, a concert featuring the performer Misha Marvin at OrheiLand was covertly promoting the amusement park built by Shor.

The Council pointed out, "The material was not marked as advertising and was not properly delimited, which is contrary to the provisions of the Audiovisual Media Services Code (CSMA). The clear separation of journalistic products from those made for advertising purposes is mandatory."

Similar hidden advertising tactics were identified in a report about a protest by supporters of the "Ș.O.R" political Bloc who were dissatisfied with the closure of the "Merișor" social shops. The discontent of the protesters was supplemented with information about the number of stores and the year they were launched, as well as mention of the initiative behind their creation.

Another example, involving the same underlying issue, was related to a report on the Guitar Festival in memory of Iurie Sadovnic. The event was presented as being organized with the support and personal involvement of Ilan Shor, even though the festival was sponsored by different economic entities unrelated to him.

CA member Ruslan Mihalevschi expressed concern, stating, "Some projects involving Ilan Shor are being promoted persistently, and the journalist's mission is to investigate from which sources the funds for these projects come and if it is not a matter of corrupting the voters."

"The mention of Iurie Sadovnic's name and the Orhei District Council is used to mask the broadcast materials. The inclusion of an interview with Marina Tauber directly associates it with Ilan Shor's image. The materials had elements of commercial advertising, including the repeated appearance of the OrheiLand logo and the slogan 'OrheiLand unites,' " added Aneta Gonța, the vice-president of the CA.

Orizont TV had previously faced fines, with a penalty of 5,000 lei imposed in June for its one-sided approach to subjects and a lack of balanced opinions in the informative-analytical program "PULS."

We specify, that anticoruptie.md journalists have presented a journalistic investigation titled "THE "NINE LIVES" OF TV CHANNELS OF SHOR AND PSRM PARTIES" which reveals how three out of six television stations with suspended licenses by the Commission for Exceptional Situations (CSE) due to inaccurate reporting on national events and the Ukraine conflict have migrated to other TV stations' frequencies.