Against the odds, co-opt media to cause distress (7)
I believe the answer is:
oppress
'distress' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'against the odds co-opt media' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'media' could be 'press' (the press is part of the media) and 'press' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'op' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'to cause' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for oppress that I've seen before include "'Persecute, come down heavy on (7)'" , "Bear down hard on" , "Treat harshly" , "Keep in subjection and hardship" , "Trample down" .)