The aim of the presentation is to analyze the changes in the reference to the expression « Swedish model » in the French press during the pandemic. The period chosen (March 2020 – March 2021) feeds a corpus of 132 articles including the references to the « Swedish model » in the titles and/or in the content. The longitudinal analysis of the corpus reveals relatively negative connotations of this model with a desire to accentuate the distance between France and Sweden. Moreover, the analysis of a series of articles highlights a systematic use of the reported discourse to be able to describe in depth and judge the evolution of the Swedish model. The results of the research illustrate a much more nuanced approach by French journalists who question the sustainability of the Swedish model. The presentation was made at Stockholm University during a workshop from the network "Språk och politik" (workshop om pandemins berättelser, 3 June 2021).