Searched and managed to fire journalist (9)
I believe the answer is:
ransacked
'searched' is the definition.
(ransacking is a kind of searching)
'managed to fire journalist' is the wordplay.
'managed' becomes 'ran' (both can mean organised or was in charge of).
'to fire' becomes 'sack' (dismiss someone from their job).
'journalist' becomes 'ed' (short for editor).
'ran'+'sack'+'ed'='RANSACKED'
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for ransacked that I've seen before include "turned upside down?" , "Plundered" , "rifle in the past" , "Pillaged" , "Rifled" .)