Originator of complex work cut by journalist on paper (7)
I believe the answer is:
oedipus
'originator of complex' is the definition.
(as in the Oedipus complex)
'work cut by journalist on paper' is the wordplay.
'work' becomes 'opus' (an opus is an artistic work).
'cut by' means one lot of letters goes inside another (some letters cut into others).
'journalist' becomes 'ed' (short for editor).
'on' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'paper' becomes 'i' (UK newspaper).
'ed'+'i'='edi'
'opus' enclosing 'edi' is 'OEDIPUS'.
(Other definitions for oedipus that I've seen before include "Greek hero - complex" , "He married his mother (and had a Freudian complex!)" , "legendary riddle solver" , "Mythological king who killed his father and married his mother" , "Theban king of legend" .)