Downtrodden journalists blocking article (9)
I believe the answer is:
oppressed
'downtrodden' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'journalists blocking article' is the wordplay.
'journalists' becomes 'press' (the press can mean the newspaper industry).
'blocking' indicates putting letters inside (to block can mean to plug a gap in something).
'article' becomes 'op ed' (as in a newspaper op-ed).
'press' going into 'oped' is 'OPPRESSED'.
(Other definitions for oppressed that I've seen before include "Downtrodden" , "Gave too much weight to" , "Worried or subjugated" , "Tormented" , "Governed harshly, weighed down" .)