Seats 1D and 2C are Able bodied passenger seats. They are both located on the aisle of the B757 and are the forward most passenger seats located aft of Doors R1 and L1 respectively. In the case of both these seats they are separated from the respective exit areas by in the case of 2C a lavatory compartment, and in the case of 1D a galley cupboard and partition wall.
For take off and landing the floor areas in front of these seats would be required to be clear, indeed this is the case with all seat rows, however stowage in other cases may be satisfied by the area under the seat in front.
Passengers are asked to refrain from reading during the safety briefing. As others have stated it is ignorant and rude behaviour. Unfortunetaly it is a problem that all airlines encounter with a few passengers on each flight. It seems obvious to most people that the safety briefing ( which rarely takes more than a couple of minutes) is an opportunity to orient oneself with the exits and safety equipment even if you have flown the type concerned, the carrier, or that configuration and seating position many times before.
Emergency events are rare but when they do occur it is often with great suddenness and likely to result in disorientation and confusion even amongst the most experienced of crewmembers and passengers alike. The vital requirement in such a situation is to restore the best possible order to an adverse situation in the shortest possible time after the onset of an event. This is achieved by training ( practice) and familiarity. Crew are regularly trained and tested in their practical and theoretical knowledge. They are also trained and practiced in co-ordination skills.
Passengers can only be asked to refresh themselves with the safety aspects of an aircraft cabin before the start of each flight. Common sense suggests that the more that actually do, the greater likelyhood of a successful outcome in the event of an emergency. Those that refuse are in fact likely to impede the chances for others as well as themselves.
In this case I don't really think that insisting a newspaper be "stowed" for takeoff was absolutely necessary, however I can see how it might well have come about given the passengers seeming lack of awareness.