The man said, "Hey, look here, this is an old paper, there <fill in the blank> a story about the big swindle in it". The newsboy ignored him and went on calling out, "Read all about it. Fifty-one people swindled!"

Explanation: The man is pointing out that the paper contains a story about a swindle. The phrase "there is" or "there's" is grammatically correct and fits the context of stating the existence of a story within the paper.

Answer: is