Paper reported downsizing of Brownshirts (5)
I believe the answer is:
essay
'paper' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for essay that I've seen before include "What may be written in exam" , "Old experiment" , "example of Hazlitt's work" , "Make an effort to write one" , "School composition" .)