Dog in the Kent area journalist got hold of (7)
I believe the answer is:
secured
'got hold of' is the definition.
(securing is a kind of getting hold of)
'dog in the kent area journalist' is the wordplay.
'dog' becomes 'cur' (both can mean a despicable person).
'in the' is an insertion indicator.
'kent area' becomes 'se'.
'journalist' becomes 'ed' (short for editor).
'se'+'ed'='seed'
'cur' put inside 'seed' is 'SECURED'.
(Other definitions for secured that I've seen before include "locked up" , "attached to lead?" , "Made firm" , "Tethered" , "Obtained" .)