Twisted campaign between party leader and journalist (6)

I believe the answer is:

warped

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'twisted' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'campaign between party leader and journalist' is the wordplay.
'campaign between' becomes 'war' (I am not sure about the 'between' bit.).
'party leader' becomes 'p' (leader of the word 'party').
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'journalist' becomes 'ed' (short for editor).
'war'+'p'+'ed'='WARPED'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for warped that I've seen before include "Twisted out of shape" , "Distorted or bent with heat" , "Perverse" , "Twisted like wood in sun" , "Twisted, bent" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.