What does the cryptic crossword clue "Reporter's run off, with this in his ear? (4)" mean?

The definition is "this in his ear". The wordplay uses a homophone (sounds like). Sounds like [reporter’s] “flee” (run off) The answer is FLEA.

Reporter's run off, with this in his ear? (4)

Times Cryptic #28604 | 13 Across | 2023-05-16 flower