ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Media play a key part in shaping nurses' social perception. Newspapers were chosen as the subject of this content analysis, as they are the main resource that Italians use to inform themselves. For this reason, ne wspapers are an appropriate resource to analyse the image of the nurse that, as found in literature, is seen as a dynamic phenomenon that changes according to different scenarios. Given the media focus on nurses during COVID- 19 it seems reasonable to analyse what nurse image was emerged. METHOD: A Content Analysis with an inductive process was conducted. The analysis' objective was to evaluate the image of the nurse in national and local newspapers, published between the 30th of January and the 18th of May 2020. A triangulation methodology was used between the two researchers to ensure data quality. R ESULTS: Five themes were identified. The risks for the nurse's psycho-physic wellbeing. Taking responsibility and human relations despite barriers. The acknowledgment of professional attributes. Uncertainty on the continuity of the nurses' social role emerged from the media. Nurses only wish to be appreciated for what they do. The agreement between the researchers on the themes has a Krippendor ff 's alpha between =0.713 and =0.985. CONCLUSIONS: The media's interest highlighted the nurses' competence in assisting patients with COVID-19. However, there isn't in-depth analysis, of the contemporar y image of the nurse, specifically in relation to leadership. Positive and negative tropes are recalled. The superficiality and fragility of the mediatic phenomena emerged, as opposed to a real positive strengthening of the nurse's social perception.