【答案解析】The author mentions the two reporters and President Nixon in order to show the importance and high status of newspapers in the past. Newspapers were believed to be the symbol of conscience of the nation. In 1970s, President Nixon was forced to resign from office because of a series of articles written by two reporters from the Washington Post. This incident greatly promoted the status of newspapers. At their best, newspapers hold governments and companies to account, and they usually set the news agenda for the rest of the media.