Journalist leading session in sweeper's compact quarters (10,4)
I believe the answer is:
bedsitting room
'compact quarters' is the definition.
(a bedsit, a single room available for rent)
'journalist leading session in sweeper's' is the wordplay.
'journalist' becomes 'ed' (short for editor).
'leading' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'session' becomes 'sitting' (synonyms).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'sweeper' becomes 'broom' (I've seen this before).
'ed'+'sitting'='edsitting'
'edsitting' inserted inside 'broom' is 'BEDSITTING ROOM'.
(Another definition for bedsitting room that I've seen is " confined accommodaton?".)