Main issue journalist spiced up (8)
I believe the answer is:
seasoned
'spiced up' is the definition.
'main issue journalist' is the wordplay.
'main' becomes 'sea' (synonyms).
'issue' becomes 'son' (issue can mean someone's offspring).
'journalist' becomes 'ed' (short for editor).
'sea'+'son'+'ed'='SEASONED'
(Other definitions for seasoned that I've seen before include "Experienced with condiments added?" , "(Of wood) dried out for use as timber" , "Expert" , "Mature" , "Veteran - given added flavour" .)